We'll Find Each Other
by mountainrivergirl
Summary: The time team has a sudden unexpected success and none of them know what kind of world they'll be returning to. As far as they know in the new timeline, they are just living their lives, but in any timeline, the time team will all find each other. And what their heads don't remember, their hearts just might. Garcy romance, sister love, and time team friendships.
1. Chapter 1

_I do not own or profit from Timeless, just playing in their sandbox._

 _I'm super rusty, but I've got to start somewhere, so here goes._

Lucy and Rufus ran, full out, hand in hand, praying that the bullets didn't hit them, as Flynn and Wyatt lay down cover fire. Her fabulous blue vintage (well, not yet) pumps had been kicked off in favor of a quick getaway, so Lucy tried to ignore the scrape of the rocks and hard ground her feet were pounding against with a thin layer of thoroughly ripped pantyhose as her only protection. They had successfully thwarted Rittenhouse's plan to kill Governor Pat Brown, the governor credited with creating modern California, but Rittenhouse had way more than just a sleeper this time, and all of them were pissed.

Rufus abruptly stopped and Lucy crashed right into him. Instead of catching her, Rufus yanked her down behind a fallen tree.

"Rufus, what?! The guys are behind…"

"Hi there, princess."

Lucy tensed as she realized they were trapped. Flynn and Wyatt were too far behind them, trying to hold off the Rittenhouse henchmen, and Emma and Jessica were standing directly in front of the Lifeboat. Rufus grasped Lucy's hand in his panic, and Lucy wracked her mind for what to do. The gunfire behind them had faded, but Lucy didn't know if that meant that the gunmen were coming to join Emma and Jessica, or if they had taken out Wyatt and Flynn, or what. She prayed Wyatt and Flynn had taken them out, but they had been outnumbered three to one, and Wyatt had been winged already when he had told them to run.

She heard a rustle as Emma and Jessica made their way toward them, and she locked eyes with Rufus. His eyes were blown wide, but his mouth was set with a firm resolve. He swung his eyes to the left to indicate that he was going after Emma. She shook her head frantically, but he pulled his gun from his under-arm holster, and pointed to the right, telling her to get Jessica. Pulling her own gun from her thigh holster, Lucy tried to remember the breathing technique that Flynn and Wyatt had taught them, to calm themselves.

 _They don't know you can fight, or shoot. You will take her by surprise. You can do this—RUFUS can do this. And you can go back and save him if either of you can't. But if you take them both out, you end this._

Wincing, Lucy wondered how Wyatt would feel about this, but this was the only way, and they all knew it would eventually come to this. Jessica's still flat abdomen, six months post pregnancy announcement, clearly meant she wasn't carrying Wyatt's child, and there was no other reason to hold back anymore. Wyatt would be hurt, but maybe it would help him let go of his lingering feelings for Lucy.

All of this went through her head in less than a second, and Lucy nodded at Rufus, squeezing his hand and trying to silently convey her love for her friend through a look.

 _Fear isn't real. Escape. Escape this hell they've put you and your friends through. It's time. It's time to stop them for good._

Rufus held three fingers down at his waist as he peeked to see how close Emma and Jessica had come to their position, and he counted down. Lucy breathed in, letting the adrenaline ripple through her, and as Rufus clenched his fist, she jumped up, breathed out as she sighted Jessica, and pulled the trigger. Jessica gasped and went down, grabbing her chest in her shock. Lucy strode toward her, gun still pointed, ready to take the final shot, when another shot rang out. She started to duck, but stopped as she realized that Jessica was dead, her face frozen in shock. Lucy looked up and saw Wyatt, barreling toward them, his face set, although his eyes showed his emotional turmoil at killing his ex-wife. She swung to the left, and saw that Emma was down too, Rufus standing over her in shock. Flynn was headed toward them, and Lucy headed for them, giving Wyatt a moment. Flynn bent down to feel Emma's pulse, and then sat back on his heels with a relieved sigh.

"Nice shot, Rufus! The wicked witch is dead!"

Lucy rolled her eyes, and glanced at Rufus tentatively, checking to see if he was okay with ending another life.

"Nah, I'm good, Lucy. I mean, she already killed me, so…maybe I should feel guilty, but really, I'm good. Ding dong, the witch is dead."

Rolling her eyes again and huffing as Rufus and Flynn started laughing at their lame joke, Lucy looked back as Wyatt came to stand next to her. His hand pressed over his left bicep where there was some blood seeping out, but she was relieved to see that it wasn't enough to put him in danger.

"You okay? You know, you didn't have to…I was going to…"

"I know, you could have ended her, Lucy, but it was my responsibility. I let her cause so much damage already, and I didn't want her death on your head. Besides, she…" Wyatt gulped in air as she touched him on his good shoulder. "She wasn't MY Jessica. She was Rittenhouse's Jessica. I realized that a long time ago."

Lucy could already hear Flynn's aside of "still far too late," so she shot him a warning look before he could even get it out. He widened his eyes and held up his hands in faux innocence, and she held out a hand to help him up. He straightened up beside her, keeping hold of her hand. The four looked at each other, wondering what to do.

"Do you think—do you think it's finally…" Lucy couldn't even bring herself to say the word "over," not wanting to give into the hope that was nevertheless taking root inside her as she looked up at Flynn.

"Well, they brought everyone with them, it seems, at least all their high-ranking officials, and you saw how weak Rittenhouse is in this time, thanks to our trips. Originally, a gubernatorial election should have been no problem for them. I don't think they could build it back up to what it was…I think…I think it might be over." Flynn looked back at her, a light now coming into his eyes.

"One way to find out," Wyatt said, and he climbed into the Lifeboat slowly, as Rufus stayed close behind him in case he needed an assist.

"You want to take a last look?" Garcia asked, close to her ear now. Lucy looked up at him and shrugged.

"Honestly? If it really is over? I never want to see history outside of a text book ever again."

"So, there's not anything you might miss?"

She tilted her head at the vulnerability in his green eyes.

"No things. Just…people. You?"

Garcia looked back at her as he brought his empty hand up to stroke her cheek. He lifted her hand and kissed it gently, and then gave her a soft, sad smile.

"You know my answer."

He turned with a glare at Wyatt's cleared throat.

"Some people I could do without," Flynn said into her ear, making her chuckle lowly as he boosted her up into the lifeboat. Wyatt and Rufus were strapped in already, and they watched in silence as Lucy and Flynn buckled their harnesses. Lucy finished last and looked up at each of them in turn. This was the hard part, not knowing what kind of world they would find when the hatch opened again. Lucy locked eyes Wyatt, then Garcia, and then turned to meet Rufus's unsure gaze.

"Let's go home."

The lifeboat began to whirr as usual, and they popped out of 1958. Lucy squeezed her eyes shut and braced for the discomfort of hurtling through time and space, but it never came. She opened her eyes to see light surrounding her, growing brighter, and she could barely see the others. Faintly, she made out voices calling for each other, and she felt Flynn's large hand grab her own tightly, as Wyatt grabbed the other, and they all faded into the light.


	2. Lucy and Flynn

_I still don't own Timeless._

Yawning, Lucy rubbed a hand across her eyes. She stretched and rolled over, checking the time on her phone. 6:45, May 30, 2018. Her mind felt fuzzy, so she stumbled downstairs to start the coffee. As she turned toward the kitchen, she recognized the smell of her favorite brew.

"Good morning!" Amy was sitting at the table with her own mug, glancing up at Lucy as she scrolled on her phone.

"Amy!" Lucy ran over and grabbed her, smelling her hair as she pulled her close.

"Whoa, sis, I was only gone for a few days." Amy laughed as she hugged her back. "What's this?"

Lucy pulled back and wrinkled her brow as something niggled in the back of her mind.

"I…I don't know…I feel like I haven't seen you in years, but I know you just left with Dave a few days ago…"

"Weird dream?"

Drinking in the first sip, Lucy leaned back with her eyes closed, trying to remember.

"Yeah, I guess. I don't remember much, but it felt…well, it felt crazy. Like fever dream crazy."

Amy took a long look at her sister. Lucy had taken the loss of their mother to cancer eighteen months earlier hard, well, they both had, but her big sister, despite all her degrees, seemed more lost.

"Did you decide what to do about the job?"

Lucy sighed as she sat down at the table with her newly poured bowl of Frosted Flakes.

"I'm going to take it."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I know Mom wanted me at Stanford, but this job at Berkeley, it's so amazing, Amy. They want me to head up a new sub-department for all the history that's been forgotten. Basically, teaching students who want to learn everything that the traditional white men's history doesn't teach. And they're still going to have me teach, and, it's just…" She grinned, realizing she was gushing as Amy smiled widely at her.

"It sounds amazing, Luce. I'm proud of you."

"Yeah, it does sound amazing. And I thought about what you said, what you've BEEN saying forever about how I need to get out of mom's shadow and you're so right. She just…she pushed me so hard, and I worked so hard for approval, but it was never enough. I don't want to stay at a school that doesn't really approve of me, doesn't want me, just because the mom who didn't really approve of me wanted me to."

Amy nodded along with a wistful expression, like she wished she could contradict her, but knew it wouldn't be true. Lucy frowned as she emptied the last of her mug, trying to catch a thought.

"I think Mom was in my dream last night, actually," she got up to rinse the bowl and stick it in the dishwasher.

"Did she give you her blessing or something?"

Lucy watched the stream of brown liquid as she poured it into her travel mug and got ready to head upstairs.

"No, definitely not. It's really blurry, but I feel like she was in this crazy secret society, and they wanted me to help take over the world…"

"Were you drinking last night?" Amy smirked.

"No, I know it's bizarre. Maybe that doc I watched on the Masons is messing with my head. Okay, I've got to go. Got to hand in my resignation! What are you up to today?"

"I'm recording a podcast episode on Doctor Who and this really great blogger I've been texting with and her boyfriend are going to join in. I'm looking forward to actually meeting them in person. And I have two classes this afternoon, white and yellow belt."

Lucy smiled. Her sister loved teaching her karate classes to kids. She headed upstairs to get dressed but paused on the steps as she heard Amy speak again.

"Bizarre, but…Mom being in a secret society would actually explain a lot."

"I know, right?" Lucy arched her brow and went to get ready for her day.

* * *

"Iris! You've got to get moving, sweetheart!" Garcia Flynn knocked on his nine-year-old daughter's door for the third time. "We're going to be late if you're not ready in the next ten minutes!"

He swung the burgundy tie around his neck and knocked on the door again, reaching for the knob when it opened from inside.

"Geez, Dad, I'm ready. I just have to go to the bathroom, it's fine," she rolled her eyes as she headed for the bathroom, the red plaid of her school uniform skirt swinging behind her.

"I haven't had enough coffee for this," he grumbled to himself as he knotted and tugged his tie into place. He heated up a frozen sausage biscuit for himself as he stuck two cherry pop-tarts into the toaster for Iris, ignoring the twinge of guilt at what Lorena would have thought of his breakfast choices. Garcia was no slouch in the kitchen, but he couldn't figure out a workable morning routine for Iris and him that included a "real" breakfast. Before she had passed away three years earlier, they had always tag-teamed, one cooking pancakes or eggs while the other got Iris ready.

Iris rushed into the kitchen and grabbed the hot pop-tarts straight out of the toaster, grabbed a small bottle of milk out of the fridge, and then looked at him impatiently.

"Okay, I've got everything, can we go already?"

Garcia smirked at her, remembering how she used to wake he and Lorena up at 5 AM with bright squeals and smiles, yet now, she would never be mistaken for a morning person. He looked at her hands.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

Iris scoffed, "No. See, lunchbox, packed, bookbag with homework and signed permission slip inside."

"And your karate bag?"

"Oh, yeah," Garcia chuckled as she ran back to her room to grab her duffle bag.

They pulled up to the drop-off line at Iris's Catholic school (Lorena's choice, but one that he was honoring now that she was gone), and laughed at Iris's groan when she saw the red-haired teacher leading the check-in.

"You don't have to talk to her, it's just your check-in."

"Except she's leading the field trip to the zoo today. God, Ms. Whitmore is such a hard-ass."

"Hey, language," he tried to sound stern, but couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him.

"Where do you think I learned it, Dad?"

"Ignoring that. Goodbye, Iris, be a good girl today. I love you. Kiss."

She rolled her green eyes and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, a mumbled "Love you too," then with a swish of light brown hair, she was gone.

Garcia smiled after her until he caught the eye of Ms. Whitmore, who nodded at him curtly and motioned for him to move on. He shook his head and muttered.

"Yeah, you are a hard ass, aren't you?"

She scared him more than some of the terrorists he'd dealt with back in his days in the field. He was pretty sure she could have gotten information out of them faster than he ever had. There was a weird premonition feeling he got around her that he just couldn't explain, so he just avoided her as much as possible.

Pulling his black Range Rover into the spot marked "Director of Intelligence" at the central California office of the NSA, he waved and smiled as he spotted a familiar figure. She stopped to wait for him.

"Good morning, Garcia."

"Good morning, Denise. You here for the briefing on the recent cartel activity?"

"Yes. And I have a new field agent starting today, so please go easy on him. He's fresh out of the Army and has a bit of a chip on his shoulder."

Garcia groaned. "Not another one of those Delta Force dicks, is he?"

Denise laughed. "I think he has a lot of potential once he can get past some of his issues. You might even like him. I would stick to calling him Agent Logan to his face, though. 'Delta Force Dick' certainly won't make you any friends."

"No promises," he smirked back, "Will Olivia be at karate today?"

"Yes, she's getting nervous. Only a few classes left before the grading to see if they earn the yellow belt."

"Yes, Iris was telling me. I think she's finally enjoying it now that they've got that new teacher."

"Yeah, Ms. Preston. Olivia thinks she's amazing. And I feel better knowing that she's learning how to defend herself. She's got them all excited about the exam next week, are you going to be able to go?"

"Wouldn't miss it."

"No date or anything?"

Garcia narrowed his eyes at his friend and sighed, "Denise…"

"Just hear me out. It's been three years, Garcia, you need to start thinking about moving on." He just looked back at her sternly, but she sighed and continued, "Michelle met a woman who she thought would be perfect for you. She's a beautiful red head, actually, she teaches at Iris's school…"

He laughed out loud at that one. "You mean Ms. Whitmore? The hard ass? Yeah, no thanks. If and when I decide to move on, I can handle it on my own, Denise," he returned, gesturing her through the open door. "But thanks for the thought."

 _Coming up: Rufus and Jiya_


	3. Time Team, Back Again

_Disclaimer: I do not own Timeless._

Lucy pulled up to the house smiling. She grabbed a full box out of the backseat and tried not to lose her grip as she held her keys in her other hand. At the sight of a bizarre looking vehicle—a rounded white and blue futuristic car, at least she thinks it's a car, with an M symbol on the trunk—well, where the trunk ought to be, she bobbled the box and dropped it on the driveway.

"Hey, you need some help with that?" An unfamiliar voice called to her from the open front door of her house.

"Sure," she chuckled as she picked up a handful of pens that had scattered on the concrete, "but, um, who are you, helpful stranger randomly standing in my house?"

"I'm Rufus. You must be the sister. My fiancée and I were making a podcast with Amy earlier, and we got to talking afterward, so she invited us to stay for dinner. Hey, you know these things are pretty much obsolete, right?"

Lucy squinted up to see that he was holding up two thumb drives like they were antiques. Quirking a smile, she replied, "What can I say, I like old things."

At his confused look, she laughed, "History professor. My name's Lucy. So, is this thing your…space…ship?" She gestured at the weird machine parked next to them as Rufus chuckled in response.

"It's actually called a Mason Mothership, but it is in fact a car, not a spaceship. Not yet, anyway."

"Wait, really? Aren't those things supposed to be impossible to get your hands on?"

"Not if you helped build it."

Lucy's eyes widened, "Wow, so you're some sort of super-genius who also works for Connor Mason, the super-genius billionaire? What are you doing podcasting with my sister?"

Rufus shrugged and laughed at her.

"Uh, yeah, the science nerd likes sci-fi, big shocker, right?"

Lucy grinned at him and shrugged as she opened her passenger side door and grabbed a droopy fiddleleaf fig tree and started hauling it inside as Rufus followed with the box.

"Is that thing going to make it? It looks pretty sad."

She rolled her eyes. "My department chair gave it to me as a parting gift. I'm pretty sure he just grabbed something out of his office. He was weirdly put-out that I quit, even though he refused to even hold my tenure hearing."

Amy was holding the front door open for her when they got there, and Lucy plopped the plant down in the foyer.

"You actually had a plant in your office? It didn't even have windows."

"Christopher," was all Lucy said in response.

"Douchebag," Amy said as a woman Lucy hadn't seen before came out of the living room and stopped as her eyes widened. She swung her eyes to Rufus.

"What did Rufus do now? I mean, I'm not saying douchebag isn't ever accurate, but some context might make it clearer."

"Hey!"

Amy and Lucy both laughed at Rufus's outrage.

"No, she meant my boss. Ex-boss now! You must be the fiancée."

"Oh, sorry," Amy cut in. "Jiya, this is my sister Lucy, Lucy, this is Jiya. She and Rufus are engineers at Mason Industries and fellow sci-fi geeks."

"Hi," Lucy shook Jiya's hand, "so you helped build the spaceship sitting in our driveway?"

"Guilty, although I didn't build so much as design the navigation and autopilot options, but yeah."

Lucy smiled at her and then at Rufus before realizing he was still holding the box.

"Oh, Rufus, I'm sorry, you can just drop that on the table right in there," she pointed to the office on the left.

* * *

Rufus rolled his eyes and slumped in his seat as the women laughed.

"Well, you DO have to admit, Jiya, parts of it really do drag on," Lucy defended Rufus.

"See? Thank you, Lucy," as Amy and Jiya scoffed in outrage.

"But, there are parts of it that are so worth it, though. Every time Amy watches the last one, I join for the last thirty minutes and just cry."

"Yeah, friends who really go the whole distance for each other? That's the best part of it," Amy chimed in.

"That and the whole 'doing the right thing no matter how hard it is' thing," Jiya said.

Rufus held up his hands in surrender.

"I'm not saying I don't like it, I'm just saying the theatrical version is already a million freaking hours long."

"Yep, I'm absolutely with you on that one, 100 percent," Lucy agreed, and Rufus grinned at her and held up his beer bottle for her to clink.

"You say that, but if they ever created a BBC, includes every detail, extended version of Harry Potter, you would totally watch every second, even though it would probably be a good 64 hours long," Amy rolled her eyes.

"Uh, who wouldn't?" Jiya asked and Amy shrugged.

"Ames, they took out entire characters and battles! And put in a bunch of cheesy speeches that never happened in the books! Of COURSE I would want them to do a more faithful version!"

Amy laughed as she threw her napkin at Lucy's face, and Jiya and Rufus cracked up at Lucy's glare.

"On that note," Amy said, standing up, "I've got to go get ready. Dave's picking me up in half an hour."

A short while later, Lucy found herself in the kitchen with Rufus washing dishes, Jiya drying, and Lucy putting them away as they laughed and chatted.

"Hey, sorry for crashing tonight, Lucy," Jiya said, handing over the last pot to Rufus.

"Actually, this has been really fun. It was nice to have the company. Other than Dave, we've been pretty much at a loss for company since Mom got sick a few years ago. And honestly, I might have second guessed myself tonight for quitting. Mom founded that department and always wanted me in it, but, it just wasn't…me, and now that she's gone, I guess it's time to do what I really want." Lucy leaned back and breathed in deeply as Rufus quietly passed her the pot to put away, patting her on the arm awkwardly as he did so.

"Sorry, that was pretty deep for a Friday night," Lucy blushed as she turned to put the pan up in the cabinet. She had been too open. It was easy with both Jiya and Rufus. It should have been weird, having a homey, family style dinner with strangers, but it wasn't. It felt like they'd been her friends for years.

"No, I get it. My mom is very…traditional. Our family's Lebanese and I never really measured up to how she thought I ought to be. Still don't, really, but she moved back after I graduated, and I suddenly felt like I could…breathe, and decide who I wanted to be, how I really wanted to live my life," Jiya gave Lucy a gentle smile, coming over to give Lucy a hug.

As they pulled back, the door rang.

"Hey, Lucy, can you get that? I'm almost done," Amy called from upstairs.

"Yeah, I've got it!" Lucy yelled back. "I'll be right back, guys," she said to Rufus and Jiya in a quieter aside as she strode toward the door.

She pulled it open, and to her surprise, there were two men on her front porch. She smiled at them in surprise, and then called toward the steps, "Hey, Amy, I though you just ordered one soldier? They sent two, should we send one back?"

Dave chuckled and went up the stairs to Amy's room. Lucy turned back to the surprise visitor.

"Hey there, soldier, how are you doing? Come on in," she gestured for him to close the door as he did so. He leaned in to kiss her on the cheek.

"Thanks, Lucy. Sorry to barge in like this," he squinted his blue eyes in apology.

"No problem, Wyatt. Come on in and meet Jiya and Rufus."

* * *

 _Author: So, fellow Garcy shippers, sue me, I love Wyatt too, even if I'm royally pissed at him at the moment. Trust me._


	4. Friends in Another Life

_Disclaimer: I don't own Timeless._

"So, what's with the hottie?" Jiya asked Lucy as they found themselves alone in the living room. Lucy winced and peeked over her shoulder to make sure the guys were out of hearing range. She listened for their voices in the kitchen before scooting closer to Jiya and putting her face in her hands.

"Nothing. Look, I hate to ask this, but can you guys stay for a little while tonight? I don't want to be alone with him."

"Yeah, sure, we don't have anywhere to be. Wait, but are you like…scared of him or something?" Jiya switched from gossip to alarmed friend in a moment.

"No, no. It's nothing like that. He's just…interested…and I don't think it's a good idea for us to be alone together."

Jiya pursed her lips in thought. "So, he's interested and you're not?"

Lucy heaved a big sigh. "No, he's interested and I…shouldn't be. He has a kid, and he's separated from his wife who seems to hate him but then comes back around, and it's a whole chaotic mess that I don't want to get in the middle of. I really want us to be friends, but I'm not going to date a guy who's in love with his soon-to-be-ex-wife. No matter how blue his eyes are or cute his dimples are."

Jiya nodded and smiled sympathetically. "Got it, we will stay and break up any sexual tension."

Lucy chuckled but turned to sincerely say "Thank you".

The guys came back in the room with wine glasses and an open bottle.

"Hey, Lucy, I threw the dip in the oven," Wyatt said as he poured her a glass of red.

"Thanks," she said with a small smile, "but I can do that, you know."

Wyatt smirked. "I think the fire extinguisher I had to use last time I was here would beg to differ."

Lucy swatted him on the shoulder as he sat down close to her on the sectional. Jiya cleared her throat and Rufus looked between the two women in confusion. His fiancée widened her eyes and jerked her head slightly in Wyatt's direction. Rufus raised his eyebrows but turned to Wyatt anyway.

"So, uh, Wyatt, what do you do? I heard Lucy call you soldier, are you in the Army?" Rufus asked.

"Actually, I got out of the Army a couple months ago. I just started a job the other day with Homeland Security."

"Oh, wow, really? I hadn't heard about the new job," Lucy turned toward him in interest and he looked at her knowingly and smirked.

"Well, if you'd reply to my texts, maybe you would know what's going on?" Lucy winced and Jiya and Rufus shared an uncomfortable look that was broken when the oven timer went off.

"Oh, thank God!"

"Rufus!" Jiya hissed.

Wyatt moved to get up, and Jiya motioned for him to sit down. "Please, uh, let us. We'll give you guys a minute. Rufus!"

As the couple darted from the room, Lucy turned to Wyatt in exasperation. "That wasn't necessary, Wyatt."

Wyatt sighed and leaned forward. "Lucy, look. I asked you out, you said no. I'm a big boy, I can handle it. You don't have to avoid me. If you don't want to go out with me or be friends, I can accept that, but can you just tell me what the deal is? Is it Kate?"

Lucy widened her eyes, "God, no, Wyatt, it's not your daughter. It's the whole thing with Jessica, it's clear you're not over it, and the way you two go back and forth…it's…I don't want to get in the middle of that."

Wyatt sighed and hung his head. "I know, Lucy. I get it. Bad timing."

Lucy smiled apologetically. "We can still be friends?"

He gave her a small smile, "I'd like that. And if things get better with Jess and you change your mind…?"

Lucy groaned in frustration.

"I was kidding, okay? I get it. Friends only." He nudged her with his elbow and asked lowly, "You do think I'm a hottie too, though, right?"

Lucy shoved his face as he laughed and she chuckled despite herself. Rufus caught her eye from the kitchen and mouthed "are you okay?" Lucy nodded and jerked her head to signal that it was safe to come back in.

Rufus and Jiya slowly came back into the living room as they assessed the situation. Jiya set down spinach artichoke dip and a bowl of chips as Rufus handed them plates. Jiya unsubtly gestured to him and he scratched his ear before speaking.

"So…Wyatt…tell us about this new job." Wyatt caught Lucy's eye and chuckled at Rufus's awkwardness before nodding at her. She started to relax now that the air had been cleared.

"I can't say a lot about specifics, but I think I'm going to like the work. I don't have to be deployed, so I can still see Kate…when Jess lets me…" he stopped to take a gulp of wine at that. "I really like my boss, Director Christopher, too, she's tough but seems nice. We collaborate on projects with the NSA."

"That sounds great, Wyatt," Lucy said.

"Is Kate your daughter?" Jiya asked. Wyatt nodded and showed her his phone's lock screen of a chubby-cheeked, blonde toddler with big blue eyes. Lucy smiled as she noticed Rufus watching Jiya coo at the picture. She handed the phone back to Wyatt and he glanced at it wistfully before putting it back in his pocket.

"You okay?" Lucy asked Wyatt in a low aside.

He tried to smile, "I was supposed to have her this weekend. Jess canceled. That's why Bam-bam didn't want me to be alone."

"I'm sorry," she whispered before raising her voice. "So, do you have a cool title? Do you have to wear a suit? Do you carry a gun?"

"Ooh, yeah," Jiya chimed in, "are you Inspector Logan?"

He smirked at her. "That's Agent Logan to you, ma'am. And yes, I carry a gun and wear a suit while I'm working."

When they looked expectantly at him, he shrugged.

"I really can't say much more than that. Classified. I guess I can tell you the head NSA guy doesn't like me very much. He knows a lot, though, just doesn't seem very patient with anyone who isn't as smart as him."

"Yeah, we know the type," Rufus laughed along with Jiya. "That's definitely how Connor is. He's great if you get to know him well, though."

"We've got a few of those in academia, too," Lucy said.

"Maybe he'll warm up to you," Jiya chimed in.

"I hope so," he cracked a grin, "because I heard him refer to me as 'one of the Delta Force dicks'."

Lucy shrugged. "I mean, if the shoe fits…"

They all laughed as Wyatt threw a chip in her hair.

About an hour later, Jiya and Rufus headed home, after Jiya and Lucy made plans to meet up for lunch the next Wednesday. Wyatt helped Lucy rinse out the glasses and plates and load them in the dishwasher.

"Rufus and Jiya are pretty great," Wyatt said. "How long have you known them?"

Lucy looked at the clock, "About six hours."

Wyatt gaped at her. "You seemed like old friends."

"I know," Lucy leaned against the counter and looked at him curiously. "But Amy had them here when I got home and we just clicked. It felt like déjà vu almost, like…we were friends in another life or something."

Wyatt rolled his eyes at her.

"I know, I know, Mr. Skeptic, I didn't really mean literally. I don't know how to explain it if you haven't experienced it."

Wyatt looked at her for a beat and then shrugged into his jacket and she followed him into the foyer.

"I know what you mean. I actually…I actually felt that way when I met you."

Lucy looked away to avoid the awkwardness of the moment.

"Hey, no, I don't mean it like that," she looked back to meet his sincere gaze. "Just like there's this comfort or familiarity there that I can't explain."

She relaxed and nodded in response. "Yeah, me too."

"Friends in another life?" He asked as he walked through the door.

"Friends in another life. And in this one too."

He smiled up at her from the bottom of the steps and nodded. "Goodnight, ma'am."

She rolled her eyes and waved as she smiled back. "Goodnight, soldier."

* * *

Garcia closed the refrigerator door, grabbed the bottle opener, and went to sit in his recliner. He flipped off the TV that Iris had been watching before she headed to bed. His phone vibrated. Rubbing his eyes tiredly, he picked it up to see a text from Denise.

"Techs picked up something new. Briefing tomorrow at 9." Garcia groaned. He would have to figure out what to do with Iris. She hated to go to his office since she had to stay in the break room without any internet access due to security. His phone vibrated again.

"Michelle says to bring Iris over here." He sighed in relief.

"Thanks. I'll be there at 8:30," he responded.

Garcia was grateful for friends like Denise and Michelle to help with Iris, but he hated spending time away from her on the weekends. Iris wouldn't mind, though, she would be excited to spend time with Olivia, who was a couple years older. And she loved being doted on by Denise and Michelle.

A pang of loneliness hit him then. It usually did at this time of the evening. When Iris was younger, and he and Lorena had put her down for the night, this had been their time, when he had been home. He still missed Lorena, but as the time passed, he found himself longing for, if not love, at least companionship.

Maybe Denise was right, and it was time to start dating again. He'd have to talk to Iris before he acted on it, he supposed, so perhaps it would be better to wait until he'd actually found a woman he was interested in first. It's not like he really knew how to do that, though. He hadn't been that great at it before, not until Lorena, and that had been more years ago than he wanted to count. A yawn caught him by surprise and he decided it was time to call it a night.

Cutting off the lights as he went, Garcia threw his empty beer bottle in the recycling bin and headed to his bedroom. As he got ready and climbed into bed, he thought about all the ways he might go about meeting someone and discarded them one by one. If Ms. Whitmore was Michelle's idea of a good match for him, he certainly wasn't going to trust her to set him up. He was too old and too much of a dad to go bar hopping, and he really, really didn't want to meet anyone on the internet. Well, maybe as a last resort.

He shook his head at himself as he pulled the chain of the lamp on his bedside table. Sleep wasn't going to come while he was trying to solve this problem. The Robert Todd Lincoln biography he'd been reading would have to occupy his mind for a while until he could sleep.


	5. Of Flashbacks, Wing-women and Heart Eyes

_Disclaimer: I don't own Timeless._

 _Also, I know next to nothing about the NSA or DHS. All my knowledge comes from TV, so it may not be entirely accurate, but hopefully is still believable. Ditto on the karate._

* * *

"Shit," Garcia cursed, slamming on the brake yet again.

Garcia was in his car Friday afternoon, trying to make it to Iris's yellow belt test, and the Bay Area traffic was not cooperating. He had gotten caught up with work, spent most of the day attempting to make sense of some new troubling intel about what might be a smuggling ring, and then an hour or so trying to explain how the process for checking shipping containers entering the US worked, and it was 4:30 before he knew it. Sitting at a red light, he impatiently ripped off his tie and texted Michelle. _Sitting in traffic—please tell Iris and take video if I don't make it._

Guilt and frustration were rolling through him. There were just so many things to do in the last few weeks of the school year. End of the year art programs, science fairs, academic programs, talent shows, end of the year field trips, special meals with parents, signing up for camps, and on and on, and it was impossible for any parent to make it to all of them. Let alone a single parent with an incredibly important job that really didn't sleep because his little girl had a two-line speaking part in a play. There were still a couple weeks left in the year. He knew a lot of parents were in the same boat, and that no one could show up for all of it, but he never wanted Iris to feel neglected. It was hard enough that she could barely even remember Lorena. The thought of her looking around for him only to find no one had shown up for her was painful.

Finally, finally, he fought his way through the bottle-neck and parked at the back of the dojo's lot. He darted across the lot and through the lobby, checking his watch as he did so. Eight minutes late. They would have already started, but Iris probably wouldn't have had her test yet. Wincing as he tried to open the door silently, he slipped into the back of the studio and searched for Iris in the pack of children running through some group exercise but couldn't find her. He spotted Olivia across the room at the front left, but Iris's brown head was nowhere near her. Denise and Michelle were on the back left side and he couldn't see how to catch their attention without being disruptive. Finally, he glanced to the teacher, Ms. Preston, who caught his look and nodded toward the locker room door at the back middle of the studio. He tried to move quietly past the parents sitting in the metal folding chairs, but accidently kicked one rather badly. Hissing an apology to the occupant, he finally made it to the door and went in, hoping no other girls were in there changing or anything.

He heard Iris speaking from around the corner. "And then Mackenzie said I should give up karate because I'm just a wimpy girl with a dumb flower name, and I'll never be strong like her." Anger swelled inside Garcia and he shoved down the instinctual desire to go find this girl and have words with her. It was just kid stuff, and though he hated his little girl's feelings getting hurt, she would have to deal with it at some point.

An unfamiliar woman scoffed in reply, "You know that's stupid, right?" and Garcia felt a rush of warmth for this stranger.

"Yeah, but…I was already really nervous to go out there in front of everyone and do my test by myself. And if she's going to be out there making fun of me, it'll be even worse."

There was a pause for a moment, and Garcia had decided to make his entrance when the woman spoke again. "Do you know why your parents named you Iris?"

Flynn paused as he thought back to Lorena, heavily pregnant, telling him about her grandmother from Maryland who had soft hands that smelled of mint, and how she had raised Lorena's mother and brothers by herself after being widowed. Later, he would have to tell Iris what he could remember.

"No. I think my mom picked it, and she died." He winced at her casual tone while still feeling a little bit grateful that she had accepted it.

"Oh. I'm sorry," she said simply, and he relaxed. People often reacted badly to that news. He waited a moment to see if he needed to step in, but Iris moved on.

"Why did your parents name you Lucy?"

"Well, when I was a kid, the other kids called me Lucy Goosey, because I was—am—pretty clumsy and I really loved books, so they made fun of me."

"What did you do?"

"I kind of hated it, but I couldn't make myself be less clumsy, and I loved my books, so I wasn't giving them up. I told my mom about it, and she told me that I was named after Lucy Burns, who was a real badass—whoops! I probably shouldn't say badass in front of you, should I?"

She sounded so chagrined that Garcia chuckled to himself as Iris laughed. "I already know that one from my dad. In English AND Croatian."

"Croatian? Wow."

"So, who is Lucy Burns?"

"Oh, yeah, I had a point. She was a woman's suffragist who led protests and was thrown in jail a LOT, and eventually she helped women win the right to vote. She was so beloved that, one time, when she was in jail and in trouble with the guards, they handcuffed her hands above her head, and the woman across from her held their hands up over their heads all night in solidarity. So, I stopped caring when people made fun of my name because I knew it really was badass."

"That's awesome. I don't think there are any famous Irises, though."

"I don't know. Let me think…Oh! I've got one!" Garcia shook his head in disbelief. Who was this woman?

"Really?"

"Yeah, Iris Cummings. She was a swimmer, and she went to the Olympics in Berlin when the Nazis were in power. She didn't win, but she came home and went to college for a degree in physical science and math back when women didn't do that much, and then she became one of the first woman military pilots in World War II. She taught pilots and aeronautics for a really long time after that."

"Wow! That's really cool."

"Yeah, it is. But, anyway, even if there weren't any other amazing Irises throughout history, that doesn't mean you can't be one. You could be the first. So…what do you want to do? Do you want to sit in here or do you want to go out there and…kick stuff and…yell while you hit boards…okay, I don't really know what you have to do, but do you want to go get your yellow belt?" Seriously, who was this woman?

Iris laughed. "Yeah, I want to do it. Will you come watch me?"

"Okay, good. Sure, I'm coming!"

"Dad!" Iris saw him as she rounded the corner and ran to hug him. He picked her up and gave her a big squeeze.

"Hello, sweetheart. I'm sorry I was late."

"That's okay, Dad. I better go!" She darted out into the studio as he and this strange woman stood there awkwardly for a moment, avoiding each other's gaze.

"Uh, I'm sorry if I overstepped there."

"No, thank you. I was running late and…it worked, what you said, so thank you." Garcia looked up to see a beautiful woman with dark curls and porcelain skin, but before he could register all of that, he met her golden-brown eyes. A wave of emotion crashed over him, so powerful that he gasped. Desire, longing, and another feeling he couldn't quite name rushed through him as he tried to breathe and stop staring at this poor woman like a crazy person.

It was relief, he realized. Relief like when he'd lost Iris at that street carnival when she was three and he ran around frantically (for what was probably about five minutes but felt like a century) before finding her talking to the guy at the cotton candy booth. Relief like he'd been looking for this woman, Lucy, forever, and now she was standing in front of him and all he could think was "Oh, THERE you are".

Belatedly, he realized he was probably scaring the hell out of her, staring like a creeper. Garcia stepped sideways toward the door and she moved at the same time. She stumbled toward him, and he caught her before she could crash to the floor.

As his hands caught her by the arms, her hands reflexively came up to grasp his forearms, and he heard her gasp this time. It was like being plunged into another world. Pictures, visions, flashed through his mind, so quickly that he couldn't catch them all, but then he saw her, her eyes afraid, and the world was on fire around them. He couldn't make sense of what he was seeing, but he felt desperation so clearly—desperation for her to see him, for her to understand him. Coming to was like being hit with cold water, but her hands burned through his shirt where she was clinging to his arms.

Lucy's eyes were wide and she looked as shocked as he felt. As she rocked back slightly, he grew conscious of the fact that he still had a hand wrapped around each of her arms. As soon as he released her, he missed the feel of her in his hands. What the hell was that?

"I…I um…I'm sorry, Lucy…" he apologized, not exactly knowing whether it was for the inappropriate staring, holding, or how terrified she was in that fiery vision that he couldn't get out of his head. Looking at her eyes warily, he relaxed a little at finding them full of confusion and…grief, perhaps? But not fear.

"It's alright, Garcia," she answered as she stepped back from him. "What the hell was that?" She whispered, and he wasn't sure if she was talking to him or to herself, so he didn't answer. He didn't have an answer anyway.

"Oh, Iris!" She straightened up and gestured toward the door, and he panicked slightly as she went to move toward it. He definitely needed to go watch Iris, but couldn't just let her go like that, so he gathered his courage.

"Oh, right, I'll go, but…can I find you afterward?"

Pink blossoming in her cheeks, she bit her lip and lowered her eyelashes shyly. "Sure. I'll see you in a bit."

Garcia held the door open for her and clenched his empty fist before it could reach to touch her lower back as she walked past him. He followed and eased the door shut before shuffling, he hoped stealthily, across the back toward Michelle and Denise and the chair they'd saved for him. Michelle was standing up, videotaping the whole thing, and Garcia was grateful. His attention kept drifting as each kid he didn't know went up to be put through their paces. He must have missed Olivia. It didn't help that Lucy was in his line of sight, a couple rows ahead, sitting next to a tall blond guy who occasionally leaned in to whisper to her. It wasn't her husband—he'd had the presence of mind to check her left hand as she walked through the door and had happily found it bare—but that didn't mean much regarding her relationship status.

An elbow caught him in his ribs and he turned to glare at Denise.

"What is with you?" She whispered then turned to look at Michelle guiltily after she kicked her chair and gestured for her to hush. Denise pulled out her phone and wiggled it at him pointedly.

He pulled out his phone and texted her. _The brunette two rows ahead. She got Iris back in here. She another mom?_

Denise looked to see who he was talking about before texting back with her lips upturned in a way he wasn't sure he liked. _That's Lucy Preston. Teacher's sister. No kids._ His phone buzzed again. _No record or marriages either._

Garcia bit back a smile at that. _You ran her background?_

 _Of course. Didn't you?_

He shook his head. _The teacher, obviously. Not her whole family. That's just paranoid._

 _Comes with the territory._

Garcia felt more than saw the wicked smile and crooked eyebrow that Denise was now sporting and he prepared himself for the third degree. _Why do you ask? Very pretty, isn't she?_

He considered blowing her off, but he had recognized in the past week that he was frankly not good at this dating/considering dating/finding someone to date thing, and he was going to need all the help he could get. She and Michelle would tease him, but they would also be excellent allies. _That's an understatement._

Rolling his eyes at the glee that was practically rolling off her in waves, he considered how to ask his next question. There was no way he was going to try to explain the weird hallucination or whatever it was to her (or anyone). He did not need to undergo an extra psych evaluation at work. The routine ones every year were invasive enough. _She seems familiar to me somehow._

Denise read and nodded before replying. _Well, I'm sure you've read at least one of her books. She's a history professor and she's written several._

Of course that was her. No wonder she had been able to spout off about random historical figures on the spot. He loved history and had actually read all of her books, including the ones she'd co-authored with her mother. His favorites had been her three solo ones, however. Her tone was warmer, more empathetic, and her historical narrative was much more inclusive than her mother's. The Robert Todd Lincoln one he was reading right now was hers. Now he was staring at the back of her head again, hoping desperately that she was unattached, because so far she sounded like the perfect woman for him.

He tried telling himself to get a grip. Maybe this was just what happened when you first began noticing beautiful women again after loss? Maybe if he just ignored it, this draw toward her would peter out, or at least lessen. Frankly, he hoped so. He didn't want to scare her away.

Just then she turned, and he flushed at being caught staring when their eyes met. Her own cheeks blushed and she gave him a small smile which he returned with one of his own. She turned back toward the front and he pointedly looked away from her, knowing she must have felt his eyes on her before. Unfortunately, he turned to see that Michelle and Denise had clearly watched the entire exchange and were now both grinning at him delightedly. He blushed deeper.

Thankfully, Iris's name was called at that moment, and Garcia ignored his friends as he turned his attention fully to his daughter. She was adorable in her gi and white belt, and he smiled proudly as she went through her basic strikes and blocks before moving onto some stretches and stances. Finally, she was told she passed and she beamed at her teacher before going to sit down.

There were only two children remaining after Iris, since the class had been tested from oldest to youngest. Garcia felt his nerves ramping back up as he frantically tried to think of what he would say to Lucy. He felt like a teenager again and remembered anew why he had hated being a teenager. What he didn't count on was Denise gluing herself to his side as soon as the ceremony concluded and he got up to go see Lucy.

"What are you doing?" He hissed at her, trying to shoo her back toward Michelle.

"Like hell am I letting you go over there alone and make an idiot out of yourself. You need help, I'm helping. Relax." She whispered back as she calmly led the way over to Lucy. He couldn't do anything but follow as she strode right up to the man who had been whispering in Lucy's ear throughout the presentation.

"Hello, Sergeant Baumgardner, good to see you again," she said, sticking out her hand for him to shake.

"Director Christopher, good to see you too, ma'am". He turned to Lucy, "Lucy Preston, this is Director Christopher. Logan's boss at DHS."

"Oh, it's nice to meet you, Director Christopher," Lucy shook her hand.

"Please, it's Denise. I've read a few of your books. I was so sorry to hear about your mother's passing."

"Oh, uh…thank you," Lucy's smile dimmed, and he suddenly wished Denise hadn't mentioned her mother.

"This is Garcia Flynn. He's my counterpart at the NSA." He shook Baumgardner's hand first, less wary of the man after seeing that his interactions with Lucy seemed more familial than romantic. Lucy bit her lip as she tentatively reached a hand toward him and he wondered if she were afraid the same…whatever it was…that had happened in the locker room would happen again. He knew he was as he licked his lips nervously and reached his own hand out.

There were no visions this time but touching her still felt a bit like grabbing a live wire, with the way awareness shot through him. They sighed in relief at the same time, and she chuckled nervously.

"Garcia, nice to meet you. Officially," she smiled up at him as she let go. At the sound of her saying his name, he realized that she had said it before, in the locker room. But he hadn't told her his name. Had he?

"Lucy," he grinned back at her. "Thank you again for helping Iris."

"No problem. She seems like a great kid. Wait…did you say you work for the NSA?"

Lucy giggled as he looked at her in confusion. "You're that guy."

"Uh," he licked his lips, "it's not usually a good sign if my reputation precedes me."

Lucy shook her head at him, eyes still laughing. "Not like that. Wyatt just told me that you don't like the Delta Force guys very much. That you refer to them as 'Delta Force dicks'."

Denise laughed next to him. He winced at the affection with which she talked about Wyatt Logan as much as at being caught. "Ah, guilty as charged, I suppose."

"Hey, we're not all that bad," Baumgardner chimed in.

Lucy shrugged. "Most of you could stand to be taken down a peg or two. Like I told Wyatt, if the combat boot fits…"

Garcia boomed out a big laugh at that. She was delightful. Denise smiled at him as she moved away, pulled by Olivia. He turned back to find Lucy tracking Denise as she went over to Michelle and her shoulders relaxed as she watched Denise put a hand on Michelle's back. He started to hope that perhaps his interest was reciprocated, but was called back to reality by Baumgardner cutting in.

"So, is that what we're calling it now? You trying to take Wyatt down a peg or two single-handedly?"

"Dave," Lucy narrowed her eyes at him in warning, "why don't you go find my sister?"

Baumgardner laughed as he easily dodged the swat she aimed in his direction. "I think I will. I'm going to go hang out with the nice sister." Lucy rolled her eyes as he wandered away before turning back to look up at Garcia with a pink tint to her cheeks.

"I'm sorry about him. He's dating my sister and he takes the whole annoying little brother role pretty seriously."

Nerves flooded through him that they were now talking without any buffer. He had to get one thing out of the way first.

"Are you and Logan—"

"No!" She cut him off loudly before he could even get the question out. "We're just friends," she continued quieter, cheeks bright red. "I mean, he was interested, but I turned him down, that's what Dave was talking about. Plus, he's in the middle of this whole messy—"

Listening to her babble, Garcia grinned at the confirmation that: 1. Lucy wasn't with Logan, 2. She was single, if he was asking her out and Dave was pushing her toward him and 3. He was fairly sure he was making her nervous, as she was doing to him. He raised an eyebrow at her when she cut herself off.

"I'm so sorry, I just realized I probably shouldn't talk about Wyatt's personal life to someone he works with. Not that I am part of his personal life. Because I'm not. I…I'm babbling, aren't I? I'm sorry."

She bit her lip and he found himself staring at her mouth. He shook himself slightly, he was probably running out of time to talk to her, he needed to get to the point.

"Please don't apologize. I find it endearing. Would you like to…" he started but found his courage slipping as she stared up at him and he was reminded that he didn't want to go to fast. "I mean, may I have your number?"

"Yes," she said emphatically, watching his face closely. He just smiled at her expectantly when he realized she hadn't moved yet. "Oh! Right," she reached down to her purse. "I know it's old-fashioned, but…" She dug around and pulled out a small case before fishing out a card and holding it out to him. "I just got new ones made. I started a new job at UC Berkeley."

Their fingers brushed as Garcia took the card from her hand and he felt the now familiar heat rush through him. He stood there rather stupidly smiling at her as she smiled back. Fortunately, Iris chose that moment to interrupt, her small body hitting his waist at full speed.

"Hey there, my little sensei," he bent down to look her in the eyes. "I am so proud of you."

"I know," she said cheekily and he gently tugged on a pigtail. "Olivia's moms say we need to leave now for dinner because Mark is already at the restaurant."

"Okay," he replied, straightening up to look at Lucy, not wanting their conversation to end.

Iris tugged on Lucy's hand. "Lucy, you should come, too!"

"I can't. My sister and I are getting together with some friends as soon as she's ready to go." She sounded genuinely disappointed as she looked to Iris and then glanced up at him briefly.

"Well, you should come have dinner at our house tomorrow night! Can't she, Dad?"

"Yes," Garcia replied immediately. "That is…if you want to?" He turned to Lucy, hoping he wasn't pressuring her too much, but grateful that his daughter had extended the invitation.

"I would love to. That is, if you really…?" she glanced at Iris, her meaning clear that she didn't want to say yes if Iris was the only one who wanted her there.

"WE would love to have you. How does six sound? I can text you the address." He held up the card before slipping it into his pocket as they were joined by Amy and Baumgardner.

"Okay, I'll see you then," she smiled and lowered her lashes and Garcia was really thankful for the presence of Iris between them, as she was the only reason he was able to restrain himself from running his fingers across her cheek.

Michelle called to him then, and Iris hastily hugged each Preston sister before yelling goodbye and dragging him by the hand to their friends. They exchanged a small wave before he let Iris pull him through the door and Lucy's attention was taken by her sister.

Back in the car, on the way to the restaurant, Iris interrupted Garcia's thoughts.

"Was that okay, Dad? That I invited Lucy to dinner?"

He smiled at her reflection in the rearview mirror. "It was more than okay. But, for future reference, maybe ask me privately first? You probably shouldn't invite just anybody."

"I know about stranger danger, Dad, and Lucy isn't just anybody. You could beat up anybody, though."

"I'm not going to beat up Lucy."

"I know that, Dad. You wouldn't beat up somebody you want to kiss, obviously."

Garcia choked a little. "Why…what makes you think I want to kiss her?" He asked lamely.

"Please, Dad. I'm nine, I'm not stupid. You were staring at her and you looked exactly like my heart eyes emoji pillow."

He blushed bright red at being so easily read by a nine-year-old, even if she was his daughter. Hopefully it wasn't quite as obvious to everyone else in the room. But even as he had that thought, he wasn't sure he cared. There were really only two people's opinions he would consider on the subject.

"Would you be alright with that, Iris?"

"Yeah, Dad, Lucy's the best. And she's super-pretty." Beautiful or gorgeous would be more accurate to his way of thinking, but she was certainly right. He was relieved that Iris was so gung-ho about the idea.

"I don't know what she thinks about me, so it might be premature, but I'm glad you're okay with the idea of me dating her."

He could see her smirking out of the corner of his eye.

"I'm fine with it. And she's totally going to say yes if you ever ask her. She was giving you heart eyes, too."

Garcia ducked his head as a wide smile split his face. He was pretty sure it was pathetic that his wing-woman was his nine-year-old daughter, but he had to admit she was pretty good at it.


	6. Twitterpated

_I don't own Timeless._

* * *

"'See you then?!'" Amy bumped Lucy with her shoulder as she stared gobsmacked after Iris Flynn's dad, who was the last parent to leave. Lucy tried to shrug nonchalantly without meeting her sister's eyes.

"Just, you know, dinner, thanking me for uh…getting Iris out to her test."

"Sure, sure. Iris. I'm sure that's it," Amy was practically bursting with smugness.

Lucy just stood there silently, her mind full, still tingling from head to toe. Her fingers still burned from where they had brushed his when she handed him her card.

"Ahem," Dave fake coughed at her, "You with us, Lucy? We need to go."

"Give her a minute, babe, she's busy recovering from a round of intense eye sex. Do you need a cigarette?"

"Mm-hmm…" Lucy said in reply to Dave, but her sister burst out in shocked laughter.

"Sis, I don't think I've ever seen you like this! You are so smitten!"

Lucy felt her face get hot at that. It wasn't like she could deny it, and moreover, she didn't want to. Ignoring the couple, she led the way out the door.

For once, Lucy was grateful to be a third wheel and sit in the backseat while Amy drove and Dave took shotgun. This way she could be alone with her thoughts of Garcia Flynn.

Lucy had come to support her sister, and then she went to help a little girl, and then…well. The epitome of tall, dark and handsome, a slightly older man with an accent just thick enough to give her butterflies had appeared, looking at her like she was the lost crown jewels and he had just found her.

Warmth flooded through her—joy, familiarity—like unexpectedly running across an old friend. Then she had stumbled into his arms and…THAT…had happened. Pictures flooded through her mind, but they were like grains of sand, she couldn't catch them. Except for one. She was on a floor, hurt and devastated—she had known loss before, but nothing like this—this was tortured, raging grief. But he was leaning his head against hers, sharing her burden and cradling her like she was precious, like her pain was his own.

Throughout the program, she had felt his eyes on her. And maybe it should have felt creepy, but it didn't. When the burn of it bubbled up and she finally couldn't take it anymore, she turned around to meet his intense gaze and he blushed at being caught. Lucy had felt such a magnetic pull toward him that she almost got out of her seat. Fortunately, that's when Iris's name had been called and that broke the spell, at least momentarily.

Then he had come over to talk to her, and oh, he was so surprisingly likeable. Slightly awkward, enough to make Lucy feel that for once she might be the less awkward one, and she just wanted to put him at ease. His laugh transformed his face and boomed out so beautifully that she wanted to put it in her locket so she could carry it with her everywhere. The babbling had started, of course, after the realization that he was a little jealous at the thought that she was with Wyatt—stupid Dave. And then his bright smile after that was cleared up…honestly, she was surprised at her own ability to hold a solid form instead of melting into a puddle on the floor.

"Hey, Lucy, you know I was just teasing before, right?" Dave broke the silence, pulling Lucy out of her stupor.

"Do I?" While it had turned out okay, Lucy was still irritated with him. "You might as well have taken out a jar of Wyatt's pee and poured it all around me."

"It wasn't as bad as that!" Dave protested as Amy yelled. "EWWWW! What did you do?"

"I just…sort of said something…about how Lucy was trying to take Wyatt down a peg or two and might have insinuated they were in a relationship…" Dave mumbled and Lucy felt a tiny twinge of guilt for siccing Amy on him, since she could feel the chill of the cold shoulder he was getting right now. Just a tiny twinge, though.

"I AM sorry, Lucy. I was just teasing, and maybe, yeah, thinking about Wyatt a little, because I think you would make him happy. But, I also want YOU to be happy. And I thought Wyatt might be that guy for you."

"I care about Wyatt, too, Dave, as a friend. I like him a lot, and yeah, if he were in a less messy situation, I would have gone out with him. But because he's not over Jessica, I refused to let myself develop any stronger feelings for him on purpose. I would lose in that equation, and then I'd be out a friend as well as a boyfriend. So, I shut it down before it could even start."

"I get it and I'm sorry. I've never seen you look at anyone like you looked at that guy, and I shouldn't have messed with it."

"Okay, so now that that's over, tell me what the deal is with you and Iris's dad," Amy wiggled in her seat with excitement.

"I mean, I don't know what to say. He overheard me trying to cheer Iris up, and when I ran into him—literally—" Amy and Dave chuckled at her clumsiness "He caught me and there was just this instant…connection."

"By connection, do you mean chemistry?"

Lucy flushed at that. Yes, there was chemistry, but that seemed like too mild a term for the electric awareness and recognition that flowed between them.

"That's…a word for it, I suppose."

"And you're seeing him tomorrow night?"

"I'm having dinner at his house. With Iris there, so it's not really a date."

Dave cut in. "Okay, I don't know the guy, but the way that he was looking at you was intense. He definitely wants it to be a date."

"Well…he did ask for my number before that, but Iris was the one who invited me…" Lucy bit her lip, unsure again about whether or not she should have accepted. Garcia had made it clear that he did want her there, but was that just for Iris? But then, there was the staring, and the way he smiled at her.

"Lucy, you might be the first woman he's been interested in since his wife died. He might just be out of practice," Amy piped up, picking up on Lucy's insecurity.

"How would you know that? You barely know him."

"Yeah, but I hear a lot of the parent gossip. He's good friends with Michelle and Denise Christopher, and they've put off a handful of the single moms who've sniffed around him before. It seemed like Denise was trying to help him with you, which must mean he's genuinely interested."

"I've been assigned to her for a couple of missions before, and she's great. If he's friends with her, he's probably at least a decent guy."

Amy rolled her eyes at him. "Yes, the Baumgardner Decent Guy test is more reliable than, you know, all the NSA vetting I'm sure he's been through."

Lucy tuned out their ribbing of each other as she contemplated that information. Maybe any awkwardness was because he was newly back in the dating game. That would explain his hesitance, despite what seemed like marked interest. She didn't want to get too far ahead of herself, but she decided this once to be optimistic.

As they pulled up to the restaurant, Lucy panicked for a second. As much as Wyatt seemed okay with her rejection, she didn't want to rub his nose in it.

"Hey, guys, can you not mention this inside?" Dave and Amy both turned to look at her quizzically.

"It's just…Wyatt. He works with him, and I want to be sensitive about this still in front of him."

"You probably shouldn't hide it from him, Luce," Dave said.

"No, I know, and you can tell him, or maybe I will if we get a moment alone. It just seems wrong to bring up in front of everyone while he's there. Okay?" She looked at him pleadingly.

"Yeah, I get it," Dave agreed as Amy rolled her eyes with her patented 'put yourself first occasionally, Lucy' expression.

Jiya, Rufus and Wyatt had grabbed a corner booth and ordered drinks. Lucy smiled when she saw the white wine for her at the place next to Jiya.

"Hey, guys!" Rufus called out as he spotted them and they all greeted each other as Lucy, Dave and Amy slid into the left side of the booth.

After they had ordered and caught each other up on their weeks, Jiya turned to Lucy. "You look really great tonight, really glowy. What have you been up to?"

"Oh, you know, just…setting up schedules for fall semester and then Amy's karate test." She blushed at the memory and Jiya looked at her curiously.

"How did the karate best test thing go, Amy?" Rufus asked.

Amy chuckled at him. "It went well, I think. Oh, Wyatt, I didn't know Denise Christopher was your new boss. Her daughter's in my class."

"Yeah? She's pretty great."

"Yeah, Lucy met her tonight. Oh, and we met Flynn, too, from the NSA. His daughter is in Amy's class, too. Ow!" Dave jerked his arm away from Amy and hissed "What?!" at her as Jiya watched Lucy blush deeper and Wyatt and Rufus looked between Amy and Dave.

"Uh, guys, what—"

"Bathroom!" Amy called loudly, cutting off Wyatt and shoving Dave out of his spot so the women could all get out. "Jiya, Lucy, come with me?" Lucy turned bright red as she followed her sister and tried to ignore the quizzical stares of Wyatt and Rufus.

"Okay, so now that we're away from the guys, you have to tell me what is going on. You've been a daze since you got here, Lucy," Jiya said as soon as they entered the bathroom.

"Lucy met a guy," Amy sing-songed.

Jiya raised her eyes and smiled, "Oh, really? Who is he?"

"Garcia Flynn. He's the dad of one of Amy's students."

"Tall, dark, handsome. European," Amy contributed and Jiya made an 'oo' with her lips.

"Croatian, actually. He works for the NSA."

"Oh, that's why you freaked out, he's that guy that works with Wyatt. So, what happened?" She wiggled her eyebrows.

"Yeah, you have to tell the real story now. None of that 'connection' bullshit from the car. I can tell when you're waffling," Amy demanded.

Lucy hesitated as she considered doing just that. Amy and Jiya were both into some weird theories and maybe wouldn't think she was crazy, as Dave and Wyatt definitely would.

"Okay, I went to the karate studio to help Amy out with the whole belt test, and one little girl didn't want to come out of the locker room. So, I went to talk to her, and we chatted for a while, I convinced her to go back in. And when we went to go back in, her dad was there, and he…" Lucy sighed.

"I just looked at him and it was like I knew him, there was this connection. Do you remember at the lake, how Dad used to make us do those really hard jigsaw puzzles?" She asked Amy.

"Uh…yeah…?"

"It was like when I would do one of those puzzles, I'd be almost done except for one spot, but none of the pieces left fit, and I would stare at them, twist and turn them all around. But then, out of nowhere, I would notice a new piece, and it would snap right into place, and the whole picture would come together after that."

"O…kay? Not sure what you're trying to say here," Jiya said.

"It…I know it sounds crazy, but it was like he was that piece. Like I've been looking at the pieces this whole time, then I saw him, and the rest of the pieces suddenly made perfect sense," Lucy broke off as she took a nervous breath and looked at the other two women tentatively.

"Are you saying that it was love at first sight?" Amy's eyebrows were raised almost to her hairline.

"No! Not love…but…something," Lucy looked to Jiya, begging her to understand.

"Why don't you tell us the rest?" Jiya prompted.

"I don't want you to think I'm insane."

"We don't, Luce, we won't," Amy denied.

Lucy took a fortifying breath. "When I stumbled and he caught me…I kind of…saw some things. Like visions…of him, of us…almost like another life."

She glanced up anxiously. Amy was regarding her with wide eyes, but Lucy latched onto Jiya as she recognized the look in her eyes. Understanding.

"You too?" Lucy whispered and Jiya hesitated.

"I…I have visions, but it's more than what you're talking about. Mine are like seizures—I pass out and see things. Usually they're of me or Rufus, but…I had one of you after we met last week. I didn't see anything else, but I was helping you search for Amy."

Lucy's heart pounded as she thought through what that might mean but discarded every thought that came to mind. None of it made any sense.

Amy chimed in. "You said it was like you knew Jiya and Rufus, too, didn't you?"

"Yeah. And Wyatt—there was an immediate familiarity that I can't explain."

"It was the same for us. Rufus even commented on it, and he doesn't believe in my visions. He made me go see a bunch of doctors just to be told that I'm in perfect health."

The three women eyed each other. Lucy was still a little freaked out, but it was comforting to know that she wasn't the only one experiencing the phenomenon.

"I guess…the question is, does it matter?" Amy questioned. "I mean, as long as you don't do anything crazy like marry him tomorrow, it doesn't hurt anything for you to have these visions or feelings or whatever. So far, it hasn't led you to befriend any terrorists or serial killers, right?"

Lucy laughed, feeling better now that her sister applied her brand of common sense to the situation.

"You're not a terrorist or serial killer, are you Jiya? Or Rufus?" Lucy smirked at her.

"I'm not. And beyond a religious devotion to Star Wars, Rufus is pretty normal, too. I think you're safe, Lucy."

"Religious, huh?"

"He wants to walk back down the aisle at our wedding to Luke's Theme."

The girls laughed at that as they headed back to the table. The guys were chatting calmly as the server delivered their food.

Later, Wyatt and Lucy trailed behind the two couples as they headed out of the restaurant.

"Fifth and sixth wheels again, huh?"

Lucy shrugged wryly at him. "In perpetuity, probably."

"That's not what I hear about you," he nudged her shoulder with his.

Lucy stopped. "What did Dave say?"

"Just that you're having dinner with Flynn and his daughter. But reading between the lines, it sounds like you're pretty into him."

Lucy squirmed under his scrutiny but decided to go with the truth. "We just met. I mean, I don't know what's going to happen, but honestly? Yeah. I think I am. Into him."

Wyatt looked at her dryly. "Flynn? Really, that guy?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Yes, really. Are you going to be weird about this? I don't even know how he feels and we might not even hit it off."

"I'm not going to be weird about it, I promise. I just don't quite get what you would see in that guy, but that's not important if he makes you happy like you are tonight."

Lucy softened as she looked up at him. "You mean that?"

He looked back at her sincerely. "I do," he held the door for her as they stepped outside.

They made it to Amy's car first, and Wyatt paused to say goodnight. "Just promise if he breaks your heart, I get to kick his ass? I would enjoy that."

She rolled her eyes at his smirk and nodded. "Okay, then. Goodnight, Wyatt. Have a good time with Katie tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Lucy." He looked at her for a moment before walking away as she climbed into the backseat.

* * *

By noon, Garcia had worked himself into a frenzy. How early was too early to text Lucy? Should he double-check with her about whether they were still on or should he just assume? Finally, he got annoyed and forced himself to text the number he'd entered into his phone as soon as he'd gotten home the previous night. _Hi, Lucy. It's Garcia Flynn. I'm hoping we're still on for tonight?_ Then he sent a second text with his address.

After a few minutes of waiting for a response, he called for Iris to get ready so they could head to the grocery store. He would not allow himself to just wait around all day and let his nerves get the best of him. Grabbing his keys and the grocery list off the refrigerator, he impatiently ushered Iris out the door and into the car. At this rate, he would have to go for a run this afternoon to calm himself down for tonight.

"What are you making for dinner tonight, Dad?" Iris asked from the backseat.

Shoot, he hadn't thought to ask if she had any allergies or dietary restrictions. What if he made pasta and she couldn't have gluten? Or steak and she was a vegetarian? He started to grab for his phone and made himself stop. Garcia was trying to set an example for Iris of never using his phone in the car. That and he didn't want to text back with questions before she responded to his first text. It would look desperate, which he might be, but he didn't want to make it so obvious.

"What do you think I should make? I don't know what she eats or can't eat." He pulled his attention back to his daughter.

"You should grill and make a salad. Get fish and steak and let her choose." Garcia laughed at how decisive she was. He would go with that if Lucy hadn't texted back by the time they were done at the store.

As soon as they got inside, Garcia let Iris push the cart to the cereal and candy aisles as he went to the produce section. He had just picked out a few tomatoes when he saw her. Lucy was standing by the watermelons, frowning at the fruit in confusion. Smiling at the pleasant surprise, he strode over to her.

"You're supposed to thump them."

Lucy jumped and grabbed at her chest at his sudden appearance. "Oh my gosh!"

"Hi," he smiled at her as she tried to calm herself. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's okay," she beamed up at him. "I just can't quite believe you're here. So…something about thumping?"

"It's how you tell if they're ripe. If they sound hollow, they're good." Garcia demonstrated on the nearest one, and after two tries, he found an acceptable one and put it in her cart.

"Thank you. I was thinking about texting you to ask what I could bring tonight, but I realized I don't have your number."

Garcia breathed out in relief. "Check your phone," he gestured at her bag and she rummaged in it for a bit before finally digging out her phone.

"Oh! I've been wandering around a few different stores, I must have missed it. Amy is particular about certain ingredients." She looked down to read his texts, and he noticed with satisfaction that she saved his number.

"So, we're still on?" He asked, leaning against the produce case. Lucy looked at him softly and before he knew what was happening, her soft lips were pressed to his cheek. As she pulled back, he saw that her eyes were wide with shock. His own heart was pounding and he was sure his eyes were at least as wide as hers, as he felt the sparks still tingling in his cheek.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to…I'm sorry…" She was bright red and looking down at the ground, and he allowed himself to reach out and brush his fingers across her cheek. Garcia waited until she looked up at him.

"Don't apologize. Not unless you didn't mean it," he said softly. At the vulnerability he saw in her eyes, his heart melted. His hand stroked down her arm, and of course that's when they were interrupted.

"Lucy!" Iris had found them and at her appearance, Lucy took a step back from him to a more appropriate distance. "What are you doing here?"

"I am trying to do the grocery shopping. Your dad was helping me pick a watermelon. What were you doing?"

"I was getting my necessary items." Lucy peeked in the cart and laughed at the Lucky Charms, Fruit Loops, and gummy bears.

"Very necessary. If Amy would just let me shop like that, I'd be golden."

"So, what, you do the shopping, she does the cooking? That sounds like a pretty sweet deal," Garcia smirked at her as she blushed again. He wondered if she blushed this much normally, or if it was because of him, hoping for the latter.

"It's not exactly by my choice…I'm a terrible cook."

"You can't be that bad."

"I started a fire the last time I used the oven. I was just making those pre-done cookies that you don't even have to slice, but—anyway, I'm barred from the kitchen except for coffee, dishes, and anything that can be microwaved or eaten cold."

Iris and Garcia both laughed at that. "Well, if you still want to bring something, you can bring dessert."

"Ooh, there's a really good cherry pie in the bakery, you should bring that!"

Twenty minutes later, they were all loading bags into their respective cars. Garcia felt a longing to keep Lucy with them for as long as possible, but he knew it was foolish. Lucy had said she had errands to run, and he would see her that night, he remembered excitedly. He and Iris waved goodbye and finished loading their groceries before getting in their own car.

Garcia had just finished marinating the agreed upon steaks when his phone chimed from the counter. He washed his hands quickly and unlocked it to see a text from Lucy that made his heart swell and his cheek tingle with the memory.

 _I didn't mean to actually DO it. But I did mean it. Just so we're clear._

* * *

 _Author's Note: After the news today that we probably won't be getting anything more, it was hard to finish and post this fluff, but we need some clockblocker fluff. I hope it made you smile!_


	7. Meals and Magnets

_Author's Note: This got huge because I am becoming more and more verbose. So, it's split in two, but both chapters seven and eight are going up at once._

 _Disclaimer: I don't own Timeless_

* * *

Garcia heard the doorbell ring from his spot in front of the grill. "I'll get it!" Iris yelled to him from inside. He took a calming breath and grabbed the open bottle of red from the table and poured two glasses. The sliding door opened and Iris and Lucy stepped out. The bottle almost slipped from his hands as he took her in. Damn, she was beautiful. Last night and earlier that day he'd noticed her natural, effortless beauty. She had been adorable that afternoon in her leggings, sneakers and oversized cardigan with her hair piled on top of her head. Now, however, she was intentionally showing off her beauty. Her eyes were smoky, her lips were dark red and shiny, and her shoulders were bare. The blue of her silky halter top made the gold in her brown eyes stand out even more and he let himself enjoy looking at her for the moment. It was a good thing he was wearing sunglasses.

"Is one of those for me, or are you double-fisting it?"

Garcia smiled down at her as he handed her one of the wine glasses. "Hello," was all he could manage and he wanted to smack himself.

"Hi," she grinned back at him. The timer on his phone went off and he turned to open the grill and flip the meat over.

"Did you find the place okay?" He blanched internally. Small talk was not his forte.

"Yeah, I only live about ten minutes away, actually."

"Hey, Dad, can I have a soda?" Iris interrupted.

"Yeah," he nodded, "no caffeine, though. We'll be in when the meat is done." She darted back inside. Garcia closed the lid of the grill and moved toward a nearby swing and gestured in invitation for Lucy to come with him. He nervously licked his lips and rubbed his chin before sitting on the swing.

Lucy's phone chimed three times in quick succession and she pulled it out. She rolled her eyes and silenced it before putting it back in her pocket and sitting next to him. Her bare arm brushed against his and he felt the hairs on his arm stand up from the electricity.

"Sorry. My friends are blowing my phone up. I haven't dated in a while, so they're being a little overbearing. Not that…not that this is a date, I mean." Her nose was scrunched up in embarrassment and somehow that made his own nervousness evaporate. He put his arm on the back of the swing, behind her.

"It is if you want it to be. I mean, I know it's not a traditional date, per se. I may be out of practice, but I am still aware that people don't normally have their children with them on dates. I just chickened out and asked for your number instead of asking you out. When Iris asked you over, I jumped on it. I'd like to get to know you. If you…I know you might not want that."

"I'd like that too," she said softly. Her cheeks were pink as she avoided his gaze, and he couldn't resist leaning in to kiss one of them. He lingered for a moment, enjoying the softness of her cheek, before pulling back.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't quite help myself."

Her eyes glittered up at him. "Don't apologize unless you didn't mean it."

Gently, he took the hand that was resting behind her on the swing and stroked her shoulder. "Oh, I mean it, Lucy," he said, hoping she could read the sincerity in his eyes. She leaned into him a bit and he breathed her in for a moment before his timer went off again.

"That's it for the grill." Garcia reached his hand down to help Lucy up. Her hand felt so right in his, and he wondered how—or if—he'd be able to stop touching her now. It was like she was magnetic, and he had to force himself not to stick to her.

He pulled the steaks off the grill and onto the waiting platter. Lucy grabbed both wine glasses and followed him through the sliding door and into the dining room/kitchen. Iris was at the table.

"I'm preheating the oven for the pie, Lucy."

"Thanks, Iris. It's better hot, but I wasn't going to risk burning it."

Garcia placed the bread, salad and steaks on the table, and pulled out a chair for Lucy. She touched his arm in thanks before sitting and letting her hand drag down his arm in a move that couldn't be anything other than seductive. He stared at her as she looked back with faux innocence that he wanted to take as a challenge. If Iris weren't sitting at the table…

"Emoji," Iris fake coughed at her dad, laughing.

"What?" Lucy looked at her quizzically.

"Nothing!" Garcia looked at Iris in warning. He went to his own chair and busied himself with filling his plate. "How's your science fair project coming?"

Iris made a face. "Since Gabby's dad has the tools to make the boat, I'm doing the report on Newton's Third Law of Motion."

"You don't like science?"

"I don't like the science fair. I like to do experiments in class, but not for a stupid competition. And Ms. Whitmore is a—"

"She doesn't like her teacher very much." Garcia cut her off with a warning, but he knew his face probably betrayed his amusement. Nevertheless, he shouldn't let her get into the habit of cursing her teachers. No matter how deserved it might be.

"What's wrong with this teacher?"

"She hates all of us."

"I doubt that she HATES you."

"Dad, she tells us how much she hates teaching and kids all the time. She especially hates me. All the other kids say so, I'm not imagining it."

He felt anger surge through him at that and had to stop for a minute. Lucy looked concerned, too. She coughed and changed the subject.

"What have you been reading lately, Iris?"

"The Hunger Games for fun. The Island of the Blue Dolphins, but that one is for school."

Garcia smiled in amusement at Lucy's raised eyebrows.

"Wow, when I was nine I was alternating Nancy Drews and The Babysitters' Club with history books for kids."

"I am very grown up for nine," Iris replied pointedly, cutting her steak primly and ignoring them. Garcia and Lucy looked at each other, each trying to hide their amusement. He leaned toward Lucy.

"I tried to convince her to wait until she was a couple years older because of the violence. And she said—"

"I pointed out that Dad was a soldier at sixteen, so he shouldn't be a hypocrite." Lucy's shocked eyes swung over to meet his and he sighed.

"The War of Independence?" He nodded once. "Sixteen?"

"I was sixteen and stupid, my mother had just died, so I joined up. It was not my best decision." He smiled grimly at Lucy. "So," he sighed, "Iris gets to read about kids killing each other. At least she'll know better than to actually do it." The bitterness had seeped into his tone. He shook his head as if that would help shake out the memories.

Lucy watched him closely for a moment, then turned back to Iris and struck up a conversation about her school friends and summer camp plans. The oven sounded that preheating was finished. Garcia got up to put the pie in and set the timer. When he sat back down, he felt Lucy's hand squeeze his knee. He reached down and grasped her hand in his own until he had to let go to cut his steak. Watching her with Iris, in his home, he tried to ignore the growing conviction that she belonged. Here. With them. With him.

After dinner, they ate a leisurely dessert of the cherry pie and ice cream that Lucy had brought. They were sitting at the table chatting when Garcia's phone chimed an incoming text from Denise. "Sorry, I have to check in case it's work," he looked at Lucy sheepishly and she waved off his apology.

 _Are we still on for hiking tomorrow?_

He rolled his eyes. _Yes, one o'clock. You had to check now?_

 _Well, since I have you anyway...how is the non-date going?_ She and Michelle had been giving him a hard time ever since finding out he had to have Iris invite Lucy.

 _I'll tell you about it tomorrow if you let me go enjoy it now._ He grumbled under his breath. Like he hadn't been kicking himself enough. It seemed to be working out fine, anyway, despite the unconventional circumstances. Switching his phone to vibrate, he stuck it in his pocket and strode back over to the table.

"Everything okay? We're not at war or anything?" Lucy squinted at him.

Garcia barked a laugh. "We're good. You're just not the only one with nosy friends." Putting a hand on Iris's shoulder, he said "Iris, it's 8:30, and Denise just reminded me about hiking tomorrow. You've got to go get some work done on your report before bed." She groaned in response. "I know, I know, but if you want to hike with them tomorrow…"

"Yeah, I'm going," she said with a sigh. "Lucy, will you come say goodbye if you leave before I'm done?"

"Absolutely," Lucy grinned at her. Garcia began to gather the dishes and she rose to help him. They ended up at the sink with her washing and him drying as they talked, their shoulders brushing as they stood close together.

"So how did you end up working for the US government if you're Croatian?"

"Uh, well, I am a dual citizen of Croatia and the US. My mom was from Texas. She worked for Lockman Aerospace as an engineer."

"Oh, wow. A woman doing that in the seventies? That's amazing."

"Yeah, she was. She was brilliant," he smiled, remembering her as Lucy passed him a wet glass. "She worked for national defense, and I liked the idea of following in her footsteps. After the war, I stayed in, went to Chechnya and Syria. When the NSA approached me, I liked the idea of starting over, doing something proactive instead of reactive. That's when I moved to Baltimore, to Fort Meade."

"Was your wife Croatian too?"

"Lorena was American. We met when I was at home in Croatia and she was on vacation. That factored into the decision to move, too," he smiled fondly.

"How long have you been in California?" Lucy cut into his reverie and he felt his face drop.

"Almost three years. I had just been promoted and we were in the process of moving out here when Lorena had her car accident. We picked out this house and Iris's school, and…" he sighed and Lucy put a steadying hand on his arm. He looked in her eyes. "I wanted to cancel the move, but I needed to be stationed at home instead of traveling all over for missions. I think it was the right thing to do."

"Iris is fantastic. For what it's worth, I think you're doing a great job."

Garcia ducked his head in response. "Thank you."

Lucy turned back to wash a plate and he bumped her slightly with his shoulder. "Your turn. What's your story?"

She shrugged. "There's not that much to tell. I'm a history professor, I have a little sister. What do you want to know?"

"Why history? I assume it has to do with your mother. I've read all your books—well, I'm in the middle of the last one now."

"All of them? Really?" He nodded at her. "Yeah, it was because of my mom." She shifted on her feet. "Honestly, I'm kind of sorting through all of that since she died. Did I do anything because I actually wanted to, or because it's what she wanted me to do?" She turned toward him and he put the silverware down as he looked at her in concern. "I love history. But I also loved music, and I was never allowed to pursue anything that wasn't in line with her plans. Well, I guess I could have gone against her wishes, but I didn't want to disappoint her."

"I can't imagine anyone viewing you as a disappointment," Garcia shook his head in disbelief.

"Oh, but I was. I didn't get tenure, didn't serve on enough committees, studied the wrong historical figures, didn't publish articles that would draw enough prestige, didn't want to marry the right guy, didn't live up to her legacy…"

"You don't believe any of that, do you?" She bit her lip and crinkled her brow, and he half wanted to shake her until she realized how admirable she was.

"I did for a long time. And I still hear her voice in my head whenever I get rejected from anything. But I think I've finally realized that getting her approval—which never even happened—isn't going to make me happy. If I got her approval and I was miserable, then what's the point? That's why I took the job at Berkeley. She wanted me at Stanford, but it was never what I wanted."

Garcia flipped the dishtowel over his shoulder. "Good, because I know I'm not technically a historian, but in my humble opinion, you are better than she was."

Lucy scoffed. "By every academic measure, you're wrong. But why do you think so?"

"Your book that you wrote with her on LBJ. You wrote the sections on the effects of the Civil Rights Act and the anti-war movement, didn't you?"

Lucy's eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped open in a surprised "oh". "How did you know that?"

He smirked at her. "I was right, huh? Your focus and your tone are different. She wanted to focus on the power players, the politicians, the rich who threw their money behind certain campaigns. You focused on how actions rippled out and affected blacks in the south, our relations with other countries in the long term, and the counter-culture of the '60s. The old guard might care more about the first, but what you focused on matters more to the world at large. It shows how the actions of a few affect the many."

Lucy continued to gape at him and he tipped her mouth closed with a finger. Bending over, he looked closely into her face. "Your tone is more empathetic, more understanding. You care about the motivations, the emotions that people had behind their decisions. Hell, you made me empathize with Benedict Arnold. You understand people's pain. I think that's you, Lucy. Your mother might not have thought so, but it's an admirable thing to care about people. Even when they're long dead, not important to the culture at large, or not fully deserving of it."

Staring up at him, Lucy dropped her gaze to his mouth and his pulse skyrocketed. He was about to lean in when there was a clatter and water splashed onto his side. Lucy had dropped the plate back into the sink. Leaning down and wiping up the water that had spilled out, he couldn't hold back his laughter, and soon Lucy was laughing with him, as they both wiped up the water.

"What about your sister? You seem close," Garcia asked as they turned back to finish the dishes.

"Amy's my best friend. She's always been more of a wild child. Mom would complain about her being directionless, but Amy just didn't care. She's seven years younger than me and she's always been the baby. And Dad…he was always the more understanding one. He died when I was eighteen."

"I'm sorry. It's not easy to be without your parents."

"No. Your dad died, too?"

"He died when I was in my twenties. We were never really close and he sort of gave up after Mom died."

"I'm sorry. I actually, uh…it turns out that my dad wasn't actually my father." Garcia raised his eyebrows in shock. "Yeah, Mom didn't bother to tell me while she was alive. Left me a letter. I haven't wanted to meet him."

She was trying to sound matter of fact but he could hear the tremor that said she was holding back tears. His heart ached for her. Without thinking about it, he pulled her into him and wrapped his arms around her. Shivering a little, she clung to him and leaned her face against his chest as she tried to compose herself. He rubbed her back, hoping he could give her some small measure of comfort. Finally, she pulled back and wiped her eyes.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to be such a downer the first time we even spend time together. It's just crazy how you're the easiest person to talk to," she looked up at him in wonder. "I didn't mean to cry, I just hadn't said it out loud before. Amy doesn't even know. I'm sorry."

Garcia shook his head at her. He was half-amused, half-exasperated. "You have got to stop apologizing. I want to get to know you, happy, sad, whatever. If you keep apologizing for being human, I'm going to…to…kiss you to shut you up or something." He squinted in chagrin. He had been thinking of kissing her all evening, so that was the first thing that popped into his head. Luckily, Lucy laughed.

"Oh, really?" She smirked at him flirtatiously. "I've driven you to such drastic measures. I'm sorry." Her eyes clearly held a challenge in them and her smirk was still in place. His heart stuttered. Leaning down to her level, he looked into her eyes in question. She took a step closer and gripped his shirt tightly. "Sorry," she whispered wickedly, and he felt her breath against his mouth. He bent forward slowly to give her time to move away. But as soon as his lips brushed hers, she whimpered, deepening the kiss, and he was lost.

Hot and sweet. That's what her mouth was, and her skin was soft under his hands as he brushed them along her arms. Longing for her surged through him. But it was her desire for him that he could feel in her kiss that was pulling him under. Sparks were exploding behind his eyes and heat was flooding through him from head to toe. It was more than chemistry or lust (though those were very definitely making themselves more obvious by the second). It was more that his heart swelled from the joy of touching her, of being this close to her. It was like coming home. He never wanted to leave again.

A door slammed upstairs, and they jumped apart. Lucy lifted her fingers to touch her mouth and it was all he could do not to replace them with his own mouth. Iris's footsteps echoed in the hall and a minute later, she was in the room.

"You guys are still washing the dishes?"

Lucy eyed him guiltily, and he chuckled. "We got to talking so it's taking longer than usual. Have you made progress with your paper?"

"Yeah, I just have a part I need help with. Can you come help me, Lucy?"

"Sure," she answered in surprise. "I'm not sure how much help I'll be."

"It's about what words to use for my conclusion. It's not science-y."

Garcia laughed. "Maybe avoid using fake words like 'science-y'," he teased. Iris glared at him.

"I would ask you for help, Dad, but English isn't your best." His mouth fell open and she shrugged.

"I am shocked that you would say that. I mean, it's true, but still…do you mind, Lucy?"

"I don't mind," she was laughing at their banter. He was pretty sure that Iris just wanted to have Lucy to herself for a few minutes. Not that he blamed her.

Watching them walk out of the room together just made him think about how right Lucy looked here. He took a few breaths to calm himself down. All he could think about was picking up where they left off. But he was finding his emotions more and more tangled up in the beautiful brunette upstairs, and he wanted a real shot with her. As crazy as it sounded, he was already falling for her. No, he hadn't done this in a while and he'd just met her…well, yesterday…. However, his gut had always been reliable, and he knew in his gut that she was who he wanted. He needed to give her time to get on the same page, though. "When can you move in?" would be guaranteed to make her run for the hills.


	8. Makeouts and Messes

_Author's Note: This chapter got huge, so I split it in two, but both are posting at the same time. If the last scene you read was the grocery store, you will want to go back and read Chapter 7 before this one._

 _Disclaimer: I don't own Timeless._

* * *

"So, I helped Iris with her conclusion, learned that she is Team Peeta, loves One Direction. And she is ready for you to say goodnight to her—NOT to tuck her in, because she is not a little kid. She made that very clear." Lucy entered the kitchen to see Garcia putting away the last of the dishes. She shivered a little as he smiled at her. He was gorgeous in his well-fitted dark red sweater that brought out the green in his eyes.

"I'll be back in a minute. Do you want some coffee or anything?"

"Do you have any tea?"

"Uh, yeah, I think we have some in one of these cabinets here," he gestured. "We're not big tea drinkers. I'll be back down in a minute to help you find it."

He winked at her as he left and Lucy tried, she really did, but she still found herself watching him as he walked away. Once he was out of earshot, she blew out a slow breath and tried to calm herself. It was unlike her to get so far ahead of herself, but for once, she knew what she wanted. Him. She wasn't even second-guessing (except maybe about the fact that she ought to be second guessing) and she wasn't worried about what her mother would have thought or what her sister or friends would think. She just wanted him.

Lucy put the kettle on a burner and started looking through one of the cabinets Garcia had vaguely gestured toward. She finally spotted a box of Earl Grey, but it was out of reach. This kitchen clearly hadn't been organized with shorter people in mind, for obvious reasons. She found a step stool next to the refrigerator and climbed on it to stretch up for the box. The kettle started to whistle and she startled, flailing and almost falling off the stool, and dropping the box. Large hands grabbed her firmly by the waist to steady her. He switched off the burner and pulled the kettle off, keeping one hand on her.

Slowly turning, Lucy put her hands on Garcia's shoulders to keep her balance. He was slightly shorter than her this way. Just the right height for her to easily look into his eyes. Their eyes met, and at that moment, the spark that had burned between them since the day before caught and lit a blaze. Her lips met his frantically and one of her hands slid behind his head and threaded into his hair. The other danced up his muscled arm and behind his neck, pulling him closer into her as he kissed her deeply. Deliciously.

Before she realized what was happening, she felt herself moving. Garcia had lifted her off the stool by her waist and spun her to sit on the counter. She felt him move to stand between her legs and she pulled back to look in his eyes for a moment and saw that he was as gone, dazed, as she felt. Leaning back in, she felt his hands move down to trail up her thighs over her jeans, setting fire as they went. She sucked his lip into her mouth and delighted in the growl that she felt as much as heard. Hands were trailing up her bare arms, and behind her neck. So hot that she wouldn't be at all surprised if she later found his fingerprints branded into her skin like a tattoo, marking her as his.

Lucy trailed her fingers down his chest and around his waist, finding the bare skin between his pants and shirt. He gasped and she leaned into the kiss harder, moving her hands up before suddenly remembering. Iris.

Their kiss broke with a sigh from each of them and Lucy already missed the feel of him. Trying to catch her breath, she leaned against his collarbone. Amid his own ragged breathing, Garcia pressed a gentle kiss to her head as his rough hands rubbed circles on her shoulders.

"I can't help myself with you," she mumbled against him. "I forgot you have a little girl right upstairs."

A chuckle shook her head where it rested against him. "Well, we were just kissing, even if it did get a bit, um, heated. Sorry about that."

Lucy felt her face warm even more. She was probably lit up like a Christmas tree at this point. "I was the one who was about to jack up the rating to R. On a first date. Oh my gosh." She pulled back from him enough to bury her face in her hands in embarrassment.

"Hey, hey," he quietly tugged at her hands. "You weren't the only one. And this, whatever it is between us, it doesn't feel like a first date, does it?"

Shaking her head silently, she bit her lip. Garcia moved back to a slightly more respectable distance and stuck her tea bag in a mug. He poured the hot water over it and reached for the sugar bowl before putting in two teaspoons and handing it to her. In disbelief, she followed him to the living room and took a seat in the armchair opposite the couch he was sitting on.

Lucy's phone buzzed and she pulled it out. "Oh my gosh," she rolled her eyes. "Sorry, apparently I have to reply to the 13 messages my friends have sent. They think you've stolen me away, and possibly murdered and buried me in the backyard."

She opened the group text chain to respond. _Guys, back the hell off. I'm fine and you keep interrupting my very enjoyable and not at all murdery date. I'm ignoring all of you now._

 _Woohoo! Get it, sis!_

And from Dave, _So, it IS a date,_ were the only responses she read before she went over to the counter and put her phone in her purse.

"These the overbearing friends you mentioned earlier?"

"Yes. Group text chain. Dave and Rufus were texting to make sure I'm alive, Jiya was telling them to shut up, Amy was telling me to ge—um," Garcia's mouth quirked and she turned red as she realized he knew what she'd been about to say. "And Wyatt wanted to remind me that he has dibs on kicking your ass if you hurt me."

He laughed heartily. "He could _try_ ," he said before his eyes went wide. "I mean, I would never hurt you. It's just the idea of Logan kicking my ass." Garcia swung his head and threw a hand out dramatically.

Lucy was confused. "Usually people are pretty intimidated by Dave and him, with their whole Delta Force, kill a man thirty ways with their bare hands, thing."

"Yes, but I was a spy and we tend to fight a lot dirtier than those guys. And I was good at it."

Lucy shook her head as she chuckled at that. Her mind drifted back over their earlier conversation.

"What do you think that is?" She asked vaguely, hoping he would get her meaning. He did.

"Why it doesn't feel like a first date? I don't know. It feels like I already know you."

Lucy paused. "Yeah, it does, and," she sipped from the mug and shook her head. "This is exactly how I take my tea. How did you know?"

He startled. "I-I don't know. I just-my hand just did it. I didn't think about it." Lucy watched him tense before continuing. "Lucy, when we met, in the locker room. Did you…" he trailed off, but she knew what he was asking.

"See something? Yeah," she looked up at him.

"What was it?"

She let her face show her confusion as she shrugged.

"It didn't freak you out?" His eyes darted away from her face as he asked.

"It did, but…what I saw and the feelings that came with it…it made me feel comfortable with you. And like Amy said, I don't think it matters, provided I don't do anything stupid. I mean, you're not a terrorist or anything, right?"

His grin was wide at that. "No, the NSA doesn't like to employ terrorists," he turned serious. "That's what I decided, to just take it as my instincts pointing me toward you."

Lucy warmed at that. Her own instincts were definitely pointing her toward him, but she had a feeling he meant instincts a little more innocent than the ones tugging at her right now. First on the list was going over to the couch, planting herself on his lap, and finishing what they had started in the kitchen. She shook her head. He clearly wanted a real relationship, and as unusual as it was for her, she did too. Plus, she was clearly the first woman he'd dated (or whatever this was) since Lorena had died. Pushing him too fast would be bad for both of them. She finished off her tea and went to place the mug in the sink.

"Are you going to come over here to sit with me? I didn't scare you off, did I?"

"No, I just think I should…I should probably go." Lucy twisted her foot around wistfully. The last thing she wanted was to leave. But it was necessary before she went crazy and attacked him or something. Her nerves were still on fire from before and she wasn't sure she was strong enough to hold back for much longer.

There was a brief flash in Garcia's eyes like he was thinking of all the ways he could convince her to stay. Then he blinked and it was gone as he nodded respectfully at her and stood. She grabbed her purse off the counter and shivered a little against his hand as he put it on the small of her back. Reaching for her jacket, he helped her on with it and leaned down to look her in the eyes.

"I can't help but feel like I scared you off earlier. I didn't mean to freak you out. I'm sorry."

Lucy felt like a jerk at his pained expression. "No, it's me. I did get scared, but it's more my own feelings. It's overwhelming and I don't trust myself right now. Do you—do you understand?" She pleaded with him slightly. She didn't want to ever leave. That's why she had to.

Garcia nodded. Lucy got the impression he was trying not to show his disappointment. "May I call you?"

"Of course." He definitely didn't understand, and she needed him to. "Garcia," she reached up to touch his face and he finally looked in her eyes again. "I want this, with you. If you want it, too, that is. I don't want to mess it up, and if I stay here longer, I'm going to."

"Lucy, you aren't going to mess anything up. I'm not going to do anything you don't want."

She chuckled self-deprecatingly. "That's the problem—right now, there's nothing I don't want." His eyes went dark the moment he understood, and her stomach tingled as he licked his lips and swallowed.

"I don't mean to sound so…I just don't want to do anything right now that either of us will regret later. It's this thing between us, this…magnetic…chemistry thing. It's intense."

"Like it hurts not to be touching you, I know." He was gazing into her eyes and she could see that he did know. That's what it was that feeling was. She was SEEN. She was understood. And he still wanted her. That was powerful and precious, and rare—and that meant he was, too. She reached up and put her arms around him.

"I'm sorry. I freaked out. I'm sorry, Garcia." His body sagged slightly as he relaxed and he hugged her tightly in return.

"It's okay. I know it's fast. We can do this however you want, as slow as you want, as long as you do want it."

"I do—I do want it." She leaned her head against his chest and kissed him over his heart. He sighed deeply and leaned his head onto hers. Lucy hugged him again before taking a step back. "You'll call?"

"Yes. Tomorrow. I'll call tomorrow."

"Can I see you this week?"

He looked at her closely, as though he was making sure she really wanted this. She pleaded with her eyes and he huffed a laugh of defeat. "Not fair with the eyes, Lucy. I'm not going to say no to you anyway. Can you do lunch on Tuesday?"

Lucy tried to bite back a triumphant grin. "12:30?"

This smile was bright and the uncertainty had left his eyes. Her heart lifted. "12:30. You can pick the place later."

Opening the door, he held out a hand to gesture her through. She went through but paused on the top step, throwing caution to the wind for just a moment. Pulling him down to her level, she met his lips with a chaste, sweet kiss. His hand came up to caress her cheek as she made herself pull away.

"Goodnight, Lucy."

"Goodnight, Garcia."

* * *

Monday after such an eventful weekend was hard. Garcia had gotten Iris off for the last week of school, despite being exhausted from both the hike and grilling he received from Michelle and Denise (and even Iris) the day before. An early morning briefing with DHS was on the agenda at 8:30, and he needed a second cup of coffee beforehand.

His phone buzzed as he was filling up his travel mug in the break room. Pulling it out, he couldn't stop a huge, dopey grin at seeing it was from Lucy.

 _Good morning._

 _Good morning, beautiful. How are you?_ Imagining her pink cheeks at reading that made his smile widen. They had talked for a long time the previous evening, and he thought the freak out was contained. He recognized that her fears were based in being the only one so deeply invested so quickly. So, he had decided to stop holding back on showing or telling her how he felt for her.

 _I'm alright. Tired. Not a morning person._ And a moment later, _Missing you._ Tenderness welled up inside him and he started typing back, but another text came in first.

 _That was weird, wasn't it? Forget I sent that._

 _Well, I guess I'm weird, then, because I miss you, too. I would much rather spend time with you than with my assistant director Karl._

 _You don't think Karl is as pretty as me?_

 _I don't think anyone is as pretty as you._ Somehow it was easier to be boldly flirtatious in text than in person. He went to sit in the empty conference room and look over the intel before the briefing. He pulled out his laptop. The words just swam in front of him.

 _Thank you. You're put together nicely, too._ Suddenly, he was the one blushing. Unfortunately, that was when Denise and Wyatt Logan happened to walk into the room.

"Good morning, Garcia," Denise greeted him, slyly smiling at his red face. He put the phone down for a moment, hoping beyond hope that she wouldn't comment on it in front of Logan. It wasn't that he had any particular love for the guy, but he was Lucy's friend and he didn't want to ruin that for her.

"Good morning, Denise. Agent Logan." He was doing his best to look friendly, but he knew from years of experience that "friendly" wasn't exactly his forte.

"Texting someone special this morning?" Denise said and he glared at her as Logan coughed awkwardly and set up his laptop a few seats down. Garcia tried to telegraph "shut up, shut up, shut up" to her with his eyes as he shook his head in warning. She was clearly confused but still raised her hands in surrender, and he relaxed slightly before texting Lucy back.

 _Hey, I have a meeting. I'll talk to you later?_

"SO," he searched his brain wildly for a change of topic. "Did you have a good weekend?" As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he wanted to yank them back in. That was exactly the kind of question that would require reciprocation and he was trying to avoid the subject of Lucy with Wyatt. He didn't know everything that had gone on between them. But between Baumgardner and his textual interruption Saturday, it seemed like Wyatt was hung up on Lucy. He certainly couldn't blame the man. It was between him and Lucy and Garcia didn't want to interfere.

"Yes, just relaxing with the family, and of course the hike, which you were there for," Denise was watching him oddly. Clearly she had no idea about the connection between her agent and Lucy. He'd have to clue her in later. "What about you, Wyatt?"

"It was great. I finally got to spend Saturday AND Sunday with Katie." Garcia was confused. He was dating some girl named Katie? But then he noticed a blob of something on the agent's tie and things started to click.

"Uh, you have something on your tie, Logan," he spoke up, pointing. The agent looked down.

"Aw, man, I'm going to smell like banana all day. At least…oh, I really hope it's banana." He walked over to the pitcher of water on a side table and dabbed a napkin in it before swiping furiously at his tie.

"You have a kid?"

Logan froze and looked up at him. "Yeah, Katie. She's 19 months old."

"You're married?" Garcia couldn't manage to keep the surprise out of his question and Logan winced a little before turning sheepish.

"I, uh, guess Lucy did mention me then, huh?" Garcia tipped his head to the side in acknowledgement and caught Denise's surprised cringe as she realized what she'd stepped into. "Separated. In the middle of a divorce that keeps getting put off so my soon to be ex can jerk me around before we have a formal custody agreement in place."

It was Garcia's turn to wince. That was low, to use your child like a bargaining chip. But it sounded like Logan was allowing it to a certain extent. There had to be ways to get custody straight before the divorce was final. Maybe he didn't really want the divorce, either. That was probably what Lucy had carefully avoided confirming. Damn it, he didn't want to feel bad for this guy, and now it was too late.

"I'm sorry. I can't imagine not being able to see my daughter." Logan nodded grimly in acknowledgment.

The door opened as Karl and some of the other members of Garcia's team walked in, so the conversation ended.

The more he heard about this smuggling operation, the more complex and terrible it sounded. Originally, they had thought the group was simply trading in stolen artifacts for cash. Now the intel they had gathered was pointing more and more toward human trafficking, with the money going to fund totalitarian regimes and maybe even terrorist organizations overseas.

"We managed to pinpoint one of the fronts for the smuggling. It's a charity. Venus Philosophical Society, and it's run by this guy." Karl flashed a picture of an older man with a smarmy grin. "Name's Benjamin Cahill, and he's a pediatric surgeon. There are only a handful of other employees, but they aren't listed on the website."

"What would a pediatric surgeon be doing smuggling slaves and giving money to ISIS?" Stiv asked. There was silence as they all pondered that.

"Let's get surveillance on this guy. I want to know the names of every employee, every penny he spends, every associate or family member, people he calls, anything we can get. Karl, you'll handle the warrants we need, assemble the team to track his internet and phone activity, and DHS will handle the surveillance. Barring anything urgent, we'll meet back here Thursday morning," he looked to Denise in question and she nodded her acquiescence. Stiv and Karl left to do his bidding, and Denise rose to leave. Logan, however, was still sitting, concern written across his face.

"Wyatt? Are you coming?"

"We might have a problem. I need to check something first," he pulled out his laptop and tapped on it for a few moments before groaning and pinching his nose in dismay. Garcia looked to Denise, who shrugged, as confused as he was.

"What's the problem, Wyatt?"

"I'm pulling up the latest update that Jess made to our divorce papers."

"Your wife, Jessica? What could that possibly…?"

"Here. She updated her place of employment a couple weeks ago. She was a bartender before and I have no idea how or why she changed careers so drastically." The laptop landed between Denise and Flynn as he pushed it at them. They leaned in to check.

Name: Jessica Logan nee Watson. Place of Employment: Venus Philosophical Society.

They definitely had a problem.

* * *

 _Author's Note: So, the little bit of mystery for this story finally appears! I think this will end up at about 12-13 chapters total. Though, if the word count continues to grow, I could be wrong. I hope you enjoyed it!_


	9. You Drive Me Crazy

_Disclaimer: I don't own Timeless._

* * *

Lucy sat in the booth at the restaurant, waiting for Garcia to meet her for their lunch date. Playing with her phone, she fidgeted, excited to see him.

"Hey," a smile split her face at his voice before she could even look up at him. "Hey," she replied, standing to hug him. He hugged her back but also surprised her with a sweet, soft kiss that sent her pulse skittering before pulling back to sit across from her. She touched her lips where they burned and sat back down to find him watching her closely. He did that a lot—watch her intently. The warmth of his gaze slid around her like a cozy sweater.

"How are you, Lucy?"

"Good. Better now," she leaned across the table to take his hand. He smiled at her and the waitress came to take their order.

They chatted about Iris, her work, their friends, Amy, and tucked in when their food arrived.

"I think Dave's going to ask her to move in with him," Lucy admitted.

Garcia watched her carefully. "How do you feel about that?"

"Happy for her, for them." Lucy hesitated. "A little sad for me. I'm not sure what I'll do in that big house by myself."

"Maybe you should get a dog?"

She chuckled. "That's what Rufus said. I'll think about it."

"Rufus is one of the nosy friends?"

"To be fair, I think I said overbearing. Nosy was your word. He's one of my friends, considerably less nosy than the others. Although that might just be because he knows he'll get any scoop from Jiya."

"You've been friends a long time?"

"No, actually. Most of my local friends melted away when Mom was sick for so long. And my college friends are scattered at different schools throughout the country. It's kind of weird that my closest friends are the ones I haven't known very long at all."

"When did you meet?"

"Just a couple weeks ago for Jiya and Rufus. They're engaged, and they did a podcast with Amy, and…we just clicked. You know?"

Garcia gestured between them dramatically and she laughed. "Not the same kind of clicking as you and me. But in a way, yes. Like we already knew each other. I had the thought, uh..."

He was chewing, so he just raised his eyebrows at her. "It's silly. But it's almost like we were friends in another life."

His look turned thoughtful as he pondered that and then shrugged. "I've never seriously considered it, but it would make sense. What about Dave and Wyatt?"

"Amy met Dave a couple months before our mom died. He was really the only person we had outside of the two of us. Wyatt wasn't around then. We met maybe…six months ago, I guess. It was the same with him as with Jiya and Rufus."

The answering nod was slow and Lucy felt a little like he was fishing. She wasn't sure how to feel about that. "What?"

"Just mentally piecing things together. Wyatt told me about his wife and daughter yesterday."

"Oh," Lucy relaxed as she looked at him. He was picking at his salad. "What is it?"

Garcia looked up at her before dropping his gaze again. "I just, uh…the reason you didn't go out with Wyatt wasn't because of his daughter, was it?"

She huffed in exasperation. "No, did he tell you it was?"

"No, no…I just wondered…I mean, I have Iris…"

Lucy's heart twisted. "I like Iris a lot, Garcia. And I don't mind that you have a daughter. I didn't go out with Wyatt because he's still in love with his wife."

At that, he froze and looked up at her shrewdly. "He is?"

"I mean, I didn't tell him quite that bluntly, and he's never admitted it, but yes, he is. The way she's treated him, he should be glad to be rid of her, he should hate her guts. But when he talks about her…there's still love there," she shook her head.

Garcia looked off into the distance, clearly thinking over what she'd said. "What is this about? Are you jealous of Wyatt?"

He looked guilty at that, and she was lost. "It's more that I just want to know you and how you think."

"I don't have feelings for Wyatt. It was a surprise—well, it was a surprise the FIRST time he asked me out. I didn't let myself think about him that way—I knew about the stuff with Jess before I even met him. Dave's got a big mouth, if you hadn't noticed already."

Pushing his plate back, he laughed. "Yeah, I got that."

Lucy took a bite of chicken salad before looking at him seriously. "I don't need to clarify who I do have feelings for, do I? Because I kind of thought all the kissing and…handsiness…the other night—24 hours after we met—would have cleared that up."

A wicked smirk split his face. "You should probably try again. I find repetition tends to help the message sink in."

Her eyes rolled even as she laughed at him. "In the middle of the café in daylight? In your dreams."

Following his mouth as he licked his lips, he said "Oh, absolutely in my dreams, Lucy," and despite her best efforts, she felt herself blushing.

"Would you go to dinner with me Friday night?"

"It depends. Would it be a date?"

He smiled sheepishly at her teasing. "Yes, just you and me, at a restaurant, alone together."

"Is it casual or dressy?"

"Hmm…dressy."

She smirked at him. "Can I have chocolate?"

Garcia lowered his eyelashes shyly. "You can have whatever you want."

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Anything I want?" His breath caught and he pursed his lips as he nodded at her, clearly not trusting himself to speak.

"And where will Iris be?"

"She, um…will be having an end-of-year sleepover at a friend's house."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "A sleepover, huh? Interesting." She sipped her water.

"I—I realize how that sounds, but I'm not saying…I just want to take you out, and that is an opportune moment for it." Garcia was now fully blushing and Lucy took pity on him.

"I know you didn't mean anything by it," she put her hand on his. "I'm just going to enjoy being alone with you and taking our time."

Garcia choked on his water. As he coughed, she thought back over her words in confusion. Her face went hot as she hid it in her hands for a moment before looking up at him.

He laughed at her. "I take it that wasn't on purpose?"

"No, that was innocent," she smiled at him. "Though I might start doing it on purpose. You're adorable when you blush."

Opening his mouth to reply, looking affronted, Garcia stopped when the server returned with their cards. He took Lucy's hand as they made their way out and frowned when he realized she was a little too short to hold hands and walk with him comfortably.

"That doesn't work," he sounded disappointed, as he slipped his arm around her shoulder instead.

"I'm not complaining," she slipped her arm around his waist and squeezed. Fingering a strand of her hair, he frowned down at her.

"One of us is adorable when we blush, and it's you. I am not adorable."

"When you blush, yes you are," she looked up at his unsmiling face. "Wait, you're seriously bothered by this?"

"There are so many other ways you could describe me. More accurate ways," he lifted his other arm as he shrugged. They had reached Lucy's car and she leaned against the driver's door.

"Like what?" She bit her lip trying not to smile at him.

"I don't know…ruggedly handsome…devilishly attractive…wickedly sexy…" His eyes danced as he leaned down over her, hands on either side of her against the car. Her stomach swooped at his flirting.

"When you fish for compliments, you cast a wide net, huh?"

He chuckled but cut off when she reached up to slowly grab his tie and pull him closer.

"Well…you are definitely ruggedly handsome…" she watched as he closed his eyes in pleasure as she pressed her lips against his cheek. "Devilishly attractive, too," she did the same to his other cheek. "As for wicked, well, you aren't wicked. I think you COULD be, but you wouldn't." A little whine came from his throat as she mouthed gently at the underside of his jaw. "But sexy? Oh, hell yeah. Especially in this tie."

She smiled as she leaned to give his mouth a teasing kiss but got more than she bargained for. He opened her mouth with his own and dove in. She arched against him and kissed him back just as fervently as he grabbed her by the hips. Suddenly, he pulled away and she let out an embarrassingly loud whimper. Deftly maneuvering her to the side, he reached for the lever to open her door, and plopped her into her seat. Her mouth dropped open as she watched him in shock. His lips against her ear, he whispered "You might want to rethink wicked," before backing out of reach and shutting her door. "Buckle up!" He winked at her and grinned playfully at her gaping face.

Feeling equal parts annoyed and aroused, Lucy sat there for a full minute after his car pulled away. She thought for a moment before pulling her phone out to text Amy and Jiya about shopping. A killer dress would be required for this date. An evil one.

* * *

Frustration rippled around the conference room. They were taking apart Benjamin Cahill's life, but not getting very far.

"We think we're on the right track with his financials, but the encryption on some of the accounts has been hard to break, and the warrants are taking a while. They've carefully covered their tracks."

"He has an elderly father in a nursing home. He looks clean. So does the wife, and he just has one son who's only sixteen. He has a lot of colleagues and friendly acquaintances, but no one that seems very close—he's probably kept up those relationships for appearance's sake. There is one weird thing—a sealed record from 1983. It's a vital record. It's probably nothing significant to our case."

"Probably not," Flynn replied, "but let's get a warrant for it just in case. It could be a name change. I don't want to leave anything uncovered here. Denise?"

"My agents haven't seen him make any trips or contacts out of the ordinary for the time being. We're going to have to keep at it. It's only been two days, we shouldn't expect that much yet."

"And the…other?"

Wyatt shifted uncomfortably as Denise answered. "We have eyes on her," she flashed pictures up on the screen. "This is the office that's associated with the taxes filed for the society last year. This is a café near the office—she's only been by herself, never met anyone there so far. This is her residence—that's her nanny."

Garcia winced at the picture. It was Jessica Logan, the nanny, and an adorable little toddler with a bow in her hair. He couldn't help but give Wyatt a sympathetic glance. The thought of Iris showing up on this screen turned his stomach and he felt for the agent.

After the session wrapped up, he gestured to Denise to follow him into his office.

"Have you questioned Logan about his wife?"

Her mouth set in a grim line. "Yes, though not extensively. He's fairly touchy about it, which makes sense."

"I get that, but you may need to."

"You don't think he's part of this, do you?"

Garcia shook his head. "No. I do think we have to consider the possibility of either his Delta Force team or our task force being targeted by her for gathering intel, though. If that's the case, we will need to know the extent of the damage."

Denise sighed. "I really hope you're wrong, but I'm afraid you're not. It's too huge a coincidence. Please be easy on him, though. She's already a sore spot for him, and if he learns that we think their relationship might have been a sham, at least at some point…just tread lightly." He met her eyes and nodded before she turned to leave.

His thoughts ran with that for a moment, and he remembered that Amy's boyfriend Dave was part of the same Delta Force team. He wasn't comfortable with the proximity of that to Lucy. However, his people would be monitoring the situation. He would have to trust the team.

* * *

Friday evening, Garcia rang the doorbell of Lucy and Amy's house and paced as he waited. The door finally opened to reveal a short middle eastern woman who definitely wasn't either Preston sister.

"Can I help you?" The woman asked, and he frantically looked at the house number. It was the number Lucy had sent, and he looked to the driveway where Lucy's car was parked next to a few other…he thought they were all cars.

"Uh…is Lucy here?"

"Yeah, she's upstairs. She's ready, but Amy is messing with her hair and won't let her leave yet. Come on in." The woman turned and walked away, leaving him to close the door behind him as he followed her through the foyer, past the kitchen and office, and into the living room. She motioned for him to sit down on the couch.

"Are you Jiya?"

"Yes," she smiled at him. "And you're Garcia Flynn, aka the best kisser Lucy's ever known."

Garcia felt his face freeze as he tried not to react to that, but he felt his ears get hot. "I'm Garcia Flynn, but…did she say really say that?"

Jiya gave him a look that said she was laughing at him on the inside but also trying to take his measure. "I inferred it. It was heavily implied."

He fought back the smile that wanted to erupt at the surge of pride that welled through him at that. Garcia didn't think of himself as the type to go in for that competitive macho bullshit, but this was Lucy. If she enjoyed kissing him even half as much as he enjoyed kissing her, well, that was certainly going to go to his head.

"Also, I'm supposed to pass along a message from Dave. All due respect, etc. etc., but if you hurt Lucy, he's going to kick your ass."

Garcia chuckled. "Too bad for Dave, apparently Wyatt has dibs. Maybe they can tag team."

Jiya laughed and rolled her eyes. "Those boys. The one you should really be afraid of is Amy. Black belt and all, plus I bet you'd be more reluctant to fight back against a woman."

He liked this friend of Lucy's and found himself grinning at her spunk. "Well, I consider myself an equal opportunity opponent, but she is Lucy's sister, so no, I wouldn't want to fight her. I have no intention of ever hurting Lucy, so no worries."

"That's wise. Because if you did, Rufus and I would have to tank your credit."

Garcia allowed himself a full laugh at that, since he was positive now that she was kidding. "The NSA heavily protects my information, you know."

"Nah, that's easy to hack. Not that I WOULD of course." She widened her eyes in faux innocence and he smirked at her.

"What do you do? Maybe we should hire you."

"You could never afford me. I work for Mason Industries." He was impressed. She couldn't have been out of her twenties.

"Really? So that's your spaceship in the driveway?"

Jiya grinned. "That's what Lucy said when she saw it. It's a Mason Mothership car, and it's my fiancé, Rufus's. He's worked there a few years longer than I have."

A loud thump came from upstairs, followed by a door opening and closing and a lot of hissed whispers. A few moments later, Lucy was standing at the bottom of the staircase. He couldn't stop his jaw from dropping as he took in her dress. It was burgundy, strappy and had a wrap front. That was enough to make his mouth dry. But when she smiled and started walking toward him, he realized that the wrap created a slit that bared her leg when she moved. "Holy shit," was all he could think as his brain glitched. Before he could manage words, Lucy had pulled him down by the tie to give him a swift kiss.

"Hi," her eyes were smoky and glittering as they looked up at him.

"Hi," he replied and reached up to cradle her cheek and touch one of her curls.

"Hey, hands off the hair. That was a lot of work," Garcia hadn't even noticed that Amy had come down the stairs behind her sister.

"Yeah, a lot of work I asked you not to do," Lucy threw a look over her shoulder before turning back to him. "I'm sorry. I tried to get her to stop so I wouldn't be late."

"I'm not complaining," he grinned down at her. "But we should go now so we don't miss our reservation."

She led the way and his breath caught as he saw that most of her back was bare. He thought he had a decent poker face, but apparently not, as Amy and Jiya both giggled.

"Amy, it's good to see you again," he said as Lucy pulled him past her sister.

"You too, Garcia," she replied.

"Bye, Amy," Lucy said, clearly trying to rush him out of the house. "Nope! Nuh-uh!" She held her index finger up at Amy to hush her as she opened her mouth. Lucy pulled him through the front door and down the steps. He opened the passenger door of his SUV for Lucy to climb in, and as he climbed in to the driver's side he heard a yell of "Remember, no glove, no love!"

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry about her," Lucy was flushed bright red as he turned to her. "I told her she couldn't threaten you, so I think she decided to make me late and embarrass us instead."

"Well, she won then, because she got Jiya to pass along the threats," Garcia laughed as she groaned. "But I don't really care about that. I'm a bit distracted at the moment."

"Oh, really, by what?" Lucy tried to look at him seriously, but he caught the upturn at the corners of her mouth. He backed out of the driveway to avoid grabbing her.

"You know, I thought you didn't realize quite how much power you have over me. Now I know you are fully aware."

"I wasn't sure; I figured it couldn't hurt. But the drool from your mouth back there confirmed it." He glanced at her smug smile and couldn't help but smile back. "And the fact that you said 'holy shit' when you saw me."

Wincing, he admitted, "I didn't think that was out loud. And I didn't drool," he protested and she raised one eyebrow, "…much. So I have to behave myself at dinner while you're wearing that?"

"Who's asking you to behave yourself?" Lucy said lowly from the passenger seat. He closed his eyes briefly before jerking them open to look at the road.

"Okay, we have to change the subject so I don't wreck the car. You behave now," he glanced at her mock-sternly. She picked up his hand and sweetly kissed it before threading her fingers through his and laying them on the console. He ran his thumb across the back of her hand.

They reached the restaurant five comfortably quiet minutes later. Looking over at Lucy, Garcia hesitated to leave the solitude of the car to share her with the world. "Ready to go in?" He smoothed his hand down her arm. Tilting her head back, she looked at him with a look of such fondness that he couldn't help but lean in and kiss her. He tried to pour into it all he felt for her—affection, gratefulness that she'd bothered to look his way, need, and another even more tender emotion that he didn't dare to put a name to yet. Her eyes were soft as she pulled away and he wondered if she could possibly feel the same this fast.

"I guess," she said and he startled. He didn't think he'd said that aloud either. Looking at him amused, she clarified, "I guess I'm ready to go in…are you?"

Garcia cleared his throat. "I guess," he sighed dramatically.

The new Italian place had been a wise decision. The atmosphere was dark and intimate, the tables positioned for privacy. They were led to a corner table and seated perpendicular to each other. The hostess took their drink orders and he turned to Lucy. He leaned toward her and fingered the curls by her cheek. "You look beautiful tonight," he stared at her in adoration.

"Thank you," she replied lowly as she stared back. "Sorry Amy made you wait while she curled my hair. She claims curls make me irresistible."

"You're always irresistible," he shook his head and ran his fingers along her collarbone before prying himself away. Her eyes were dark as she looked up at him.

"I don't know, you did a pretty thorough job of resisting me the other day after lunch."

He scoffed at her in disbelief. "You call that resisting? Oh, oh, so the dress, this is payback?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Lucy had a satisfied smirk on her face as she leaned in and dragged her hand down his chest to grab his tie and pull him closer. She pecked his nose gently.

Grinning at her, he nodded in surrender. "You like pulling me around by the neck, huh?"

"It's more that I like you in ties. It's never really been my thing with anyone else, but you make them look GOOD." Garcia felt a blush start to rise at that but was luckily interrupted by their server arriving with drinks and menus.

After introducing himself, he asked "We celebrating a special occasion this evening? Anniversary?"

Lucy gave a shocked cough so Garcia answered, "Uh, no."

"Oh, you two are just so in sync. How long have you been together?"

Garcia looked at Lucy through his lashes to see her blush, but she looked pleased and it shot straight to his heart.

"Can we hear the specials?" Garcia cut in. He didn't bother listening to them and agreed when asked if they needed a few more minutes.

When he turned to Lucy her cheeks were still pink. Their eyes caught and they laughed together awkwardly. "We did meet a week ago today," he said a little shyly and she looked at him a little too knowingly.

"We did, didn't we? It feels way longer," she cut off with a yawn and he looked at her concerned.

"Are you okay?"

"Just tired. I've been having weird dreams," she leaned her head into her hand.

"Nightmares?"

"No…well, some are scary. Some are nice. I don't really remember anything other than flashes or impressions after I wake, but they keep interrupting my sleep. Actually…I feel like you're in them sometimes."

"Really? The scary ones?"

Lucy rolled her eyes at him. "I don't know which ones, but I do know it's not you I'm afraid of in them." His chest loosened at that. He still worried sometimes about the vision he'd had when he first met her. If that was from another life, he wasn't sure he was always a friend. "Why do you always think you might scare me, Garcia?"

She read him too well. "The vision I had, it…it wasn't the nicest. You looked terrified. I don't know what of, but…and I am a soldier, a spy…a big guy."

"Yeah, but you're basically a giant teddy bear. Not to everyone, I know that, but you're no danger to me."

The tender smile and softness in her caramel eyes told him she truly meant it. "You're right, but people usually find me hard to read. It's an occupational necessity."

"Really? Your eyes are very expressive."

"I think that's just you, Lucy." The heat of her blush warmed the hand that he had on her cheek. She was so modest, she really didn't know her worth, this woman he lo-. He looked down as he realized where that thought was going. It couldn't be right, could it? It had only been a week. Granted, a week where they had been in more or less constant contact, but still. Trying not to panic or freak Lucy out, he leaned down and kissed her shoulder. He breathed in her cinnamon and coffee scent and decided to not think about it for now.

The server chose to bring their food at that moment, and Garcia decided to forgive him for his earlier slip-up.

As they walked to his car after a very enjoyable meal, he wrestled with himself. He was not ready to let her go for the evening. Deciding to err on the side of being open about his feelings, he spoke.

"If you're not too tired, would you like to come back to my place for a little bit?"

"I'd like that," she said, squeezing him with the arm that was around his waist.

They were silent as they drove him, the tension between them almost like a physical presence. He parked the car and sat for a moment.

"I want you to know I'm not expecting anything from you," he paused, not really knowing how to continue. Lucy took over.

"What if…what if I…?"

His heart thudded painfully in his chest as his pulse jackhammered. "Do you?"

There was a tug on his tie as she pulled him toward her. "Yes," she whispered, looking into his eyes. "I don't want to hold back."

Garcia swallowed. "I feel the same way." Closing his eyes, he sighed and leaned in to the kiss she placed against his cheek.

"Good. Inside?" He nodded in response and she let go of his tie. Reminding himself to go slowly, he opened his door and breathed deeply as he went to open her door. They both tried to avoid touching each other as they walked toward his front door. For his part, he was close to his breaking point and knew he needed to at least make it inside first.

A sigh of relief passed his lips as he unlocked the door and Lucy walked through in front of him. Just as he had closed the door, Lucy pressed him back against it and pulled him down by the tie to kiss him. He skimmed his hands down her lifted arms, down her sides as she gasped against him and splayed them across the smooth skin of her back. It was hard to kiss her from this position, even with her in heels, so Garcia spun them around so that she was against the door. Wrapping one hand behind her neck, he leaned down to kiss her and there was a small thud as her head hit the door. She hissed and he winced.

"It's not comfortable for you to kiss me arching up like this, is it?"

"No, dammit. I can't reach you even with heels, and if you bend down like that you have to hunch away from me." Her disgruntled pout was so cute that he couldn't help chuckling.

"Well, there are two options. We could move this to the couch," he kissed her temple.

"What's the other option?" He grinned and reached down to pick her up by her thighs and prop her against the wall. She shrieked and he laughed until he realized his hand was against the skin of her left leg from the slit of her dress. Groaning, he pressed against her as she worked her fingers into his hair and pulled him in to kiss her again.

Giggling, she tilted back to look at him. "Could you really keep this up?"

He smirked at her. "Of course. You're very light Lucy. So, what will it be?" Pressing into her, he delighted in the shiver he felt run through her. She pursed her lips and he leaned into nip them, making her giggle again. He knew he would never tire of that sound.

"Couch, because my feet hurt from the shoes. But I absolutely expect a rain check on this later." Dark eyes stared into his own as he eased her down the wall. It was almost painful to pry himself away so they could walk to the couch. Before he could get far, he felt Lucy tug on his sleeve. He helped her by shrugging out of the jacket and watched as she went to drape it on the coat rack.

"I don't want you to get wrinkles," she explained as she saw him watching. The sweetness of that overwhelmed him as he followed her to the couch. He sat next to her and pulled her feet into his lap, working at one of the buckles.

"You don't have to—"

"You said your feet hurt," Garcia gently tugged off the left shoe and set it upright, to the side of the couch. Lucy's eyes were boring into him as he pulled off the other shoe and put it on the floor. Taking the ball of her foot in hand, he massaged it gently as he looked up at her. He needed to make sure they were on the same page.

"Lucy, this is fast, but it isn't casual. Not for me. I need you to know that this means a lot to me."

She scooted closer to him and ran her hand behind his neck and into his hair. That made him quirk a smile. Lucy certainly enjoyed pulling him where she wanted him, whether it was with his tie or his hair. He was a fan.

"I know," she said. "I can tell. The way you look at me…anyway, it means a lot to me, too." Searching her eyes, he could see it was the truth. He lifted her foot and kissed the top of it and smiled satisfactorily at the whine that escaped her.

"How do I look at you?" He kissed her ankle where the strap had dug into it and looked up to see her biting her lip. "Hmm?"

"Um, you look kind of intense…but tender and…" she trailed off as he moved to gently grasp her other foot.

"Mesmerized?" he kissed the top of that foot before moving to her ankle again. "Adoring?" His hand slid up the back of her calf and she gasped, eyes closed. "That's because I am, Lucy." Tugging gently on her leg, she moved toward him so that she was sitting sideways on his lap. Cheeks glowing, eyes closed as she shivered, she was gorgeous.

"Lucy?" Eyes bright as she opened them to stare into his, it was his turn to gasp at the sheer need he could see reflected at him. She took advantage of his gasp and lunged at his mouth. God, it was like being kissed by a sunbeam, she radiated so much heat and light.

Garcia let his fingers travel slowly from her calf up to the top of the slit to stroke her thigh. Pausing every few moments to take her in, he moved to kiss down her neck. She whimpered and arched against him before moving her hands up his chest and finally to his neck to undo his tie. There was a little bit of a tussle trying to loosen the knot enough to lift over his head. He ducked and they laughed together as she pulled it over his head. Allowing her to undo two buttons first, he couldn't wait anymore to lean down and kiss her shoulder, then her collarbone, running the fingers of his left hand along her dress strap.

Then, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled back to lean his forehead against hers. "Ignore it. They'll call back if it's a real emergency." She nodded and pulled him back to her mouth. His phone buzzed again. He cursed loudly in Croatian. "I'm sorry," he breathed. "I'll be right back."

Answering the phone as he walked down the hall, he snapped, "What?!" into it as soon as it connected.

Karl was taken aback. "Uh, sorry, boss, but there's been a breakthrough with Cahill. I wouldn't have called if it weren't urgent."

"Yeah, I know, Karl," he sighed deeply and tried to calm himself. "What is it?"

There was hesitation in his AD's voice as he replied. "It's more of an in-person kind of update."

Garcia tried not to curse again as he closed his eyes in frustration. "Okay, I'll be there in about…a half hour."

"See you then, boss."

He pinched his nose after he hung up and trudged back to the living room. Lucy had moved to stand at the kitchen counter, shoes in hand.

"You have to go, don't you?" Taking her in, with the lipstick kissed off her mouth and her hair thoroughly mussed and knowing he was going to have to take her home made him seriously regret his career choices.

Nodding, he sighed. "I do. I'm sorry. You have no idea how much."

She shrugged at him, a "what can you do?" look on her face. "It's alright. We'll have other evenings. You'll be needing this," she held up his tie and flipped his collar up as she redid his buttons. He leaned forward for her to loop it around his neck and tie a Windsor knot. The simple domesticity of it touched him deeply and he had to clear his throat before speaking.

"I'll drop you off on my way."

"I can call Amy if you need to head straight there."

Gripping her hand, he shook his head. "No, they normally have to wait for me to get Iris together, they can wait a couple minutes for me to take you home."

Feeling downright depressed, he locked the door behind them after grabbing his coat and handing Lucy her purse.

"Hey, no sulking," Lucy teased him once they were on their way.

"I'm sorry," he sighed. "I just didn't want the night to end this way."

"Yeah, me neither. But I'm not mad at you or anything."

"Are you sure? Even though this is now the second time I've gotten you, er, revved up before leaving you abruptly?"

She scoffed at him. "That was different. Tuesday was on purpose. And this is less abrupt." She was quiet for a minute before continuing. "At least we know that we…click."

Garcia snorted. "Yeah, it was hot as hell." He waited a beat. "For you too?"

Hearing the eye roll in her voice, he chuckled when she replied. "False modesty doesn't suit you, Garcia."

After a too-quick kiss goodnight, he drove away.

* * *

Striding into the office, he winced a little when Karl flinched at the sight of him. He felt a little bad for venting his frustration at him. Only a little, though.

"What is it?"

"Let's go in the conference room," Garcia squinted in confusion. Normally Karl would show him any intel at his desk. He saw Stiv's gaze dart away as soon as he saw he was there, and it told him there was something weird about this.

Karl waited for him to sit before pulling open his laptop. The air of a man going to the gallows was hanging around him and Garcia's patience was waning. He grabbed the water pitcher to pour himself a glass of water.

"The warrant came through on that vital record and we managed to get it. It just came through a couple hours ago. It's a birth certificate for another kid Cahill fathered."

"Hmm, okay. Did you run it through the DMV, records, facial recognition?"

Karl winced again. "Yeah, um. This is her. I'm sorry, boss." He clicked open the page and turned the laptop toward Garcia before leaving the room at speed.

As he looked at Lucy's face and information on the screen, he realized he had already fallen in love with her, because he felt his heart break. It shattered into as many pieces as the pitcher that he threw at the wall.


	10. When You Assume

_Disclaimer: I don't own Timeless._

* * *

Head in his hands, Garcia sat slumped forward in his desk chair. His office was dark. He was wishing for a stiff drink to dull the sound of the warring factions in his head. This was the in-between time, as the rest of the task force was called in to dig through Lucy's life.

He had scrubbed his collar for five minutes, trying to get off the tiny smudge of her lipstick off. If only it were as easy to forget the feel of those lips, her skin under his fingertips, the fire in her eyes as she played him like a fiddle.

The door clicked open and he didn't bother looking up as Denise came in. "Oh, Garcia," she said in such an understanding tone that it made Garcia's throat close. She closed the doors and cut on a lamp as she crossed to sit in one of the chairs across from him.

He glanced up at her shoulder, not daring to meet her eyes. Clearing his throat, he leaned back in his chair. "It had to be too good to be true, right?" Denise watched him silently. "Too perfect for me, too exactly everything I could possibly want."

"We don't know that she's part of it, Garcia. We don't know what it means. Don't jump to the worst conclusion without more evidence."

"I can't hold out hope at this point. Even if my every instinct says to trust her, that she would never be part of something like this. Because even if she isn't, she's going to get pulled in here. Into an interrogation room where somebody who works for me is going to give her the third degree. Ask her all sorts of impertinent and downright rude questions about her life. Pull into the light everything she hasn't wanted to confront about her family. Either way this goes, I lose her," his voice cracked at that.

"Best case scenario, she comes in here and gets her heart broken by finding out that her father is actually the worst kind of villain, that that's the blood in her veins. Maybe even that her beloved mother knew about it. And I can't protect her from any of it, can't even soften the blow or hold her hand through it, because it would ruin our investigation and then they'd walk." Garcia huffed a mirthless laugh as he stood up to pace and Denise watched him warily.

"Worst case scenario, she's such a sweet honey trap that I fell in love with her in only a week's time. That I'm not only foolish but totally careless, because I invited her into my home, with my little girl, let Iris fall in love with her too. I've already wrapped my life around her and pictured a future with her."

"To be fair, Iris is the one who invi—but that doesn't matter," she broke off at his enraged incredulity. "Look, Garcia, I know it looks bad. But I checked with the guys out there before coming in. So far, there's no evidence of her ever having even met him, no evidence that he ever sent any money to her or her mother. Carol Preston's inherited wealth is all well documented, all of it appears to be on the up and up. Same with all the money she and Lucy have both received from their university salaries and published works."

"So I should…what?" He looked up at her like a wounded animal. Desperate to hope that he wasn't going to get bitten, but too wary to let his guard down.

"You should stop catastrophizing, for starters. Trust your team to get to the bottom of everything and handle it with tact. Trust yourself. And if Lucy is innocent, you shouldn't underestimate her and assume her reaction."

A voice cut in from the doorway. "She is innocent. There's no way Lucy is part of this," Wyatt was shaking his head vehemently.

"By all means come in, Logan," Garcia couldn't be bothered to cut the snark from his voice.

"If you think she is, you either don't know her well enough, or you don't deserve her. Maybe both," Wyatt was glaring at him, jaw set in a stubborn line.

"You think I want to believe it? To think the woman I…it's just too big a coincidence. Especially with—"

"With what's happening with Jessica. Yeah, I know what you've been thinking. That they're targeting Delta Force or this task force or both, to get intel, to know when we're watching and when we're deployed or on mission." He sighed deeply. "And I know how it looks, like I've been naïve and my wife has been playing me. But she hasn't—we haven't lived together in over a year. Because I've known for a long time now that she's not the same Jessica I fell in love with in high school."

Garcia glanced over to Denise a little guiltily. Especially considering it was possible he'd fallen for a trap in less than a week, he felt terrible for having assumed Wyatt was a gullible idiot for not catching his wife of many years in the act.

"And yeah, okay, so I haven't been chomping at the bit to get the divorce pushed through, but that's not because I trust her. It's nostalgia and not wanting Katie to be caught in the middle. Don't ignore my read on Lucy just because of Jessica. It's not the same thing."

Eying Logan, Garcia shifted his weight and relaxed his gaze. "In my bones, I don't feel like she's part of it either. However, the timing of things is too suspicious. It's too big a coincidence. We have to do our due diligence for the investigation, regardless of how we feel about it. If it were anyone else, wouldn't you want them brought in for questioning?"

"Yes, but she shouldn't be treated as a suspect. Look, I get what you're saying intellectually. But you're overlooking something glaring. I've been asking Lucy out for months. If she was supposed to infiltrate us, wouldn't she have said yes? Especially once I joined Homeland Security?"

A stubborn shoot of hope twisted up in his stomach. That was a valid point, and he wanted to grab onto it with both hands. Wyatt crossed to the other chair next to Denise and sat down. Garcia exchanged a look with Denise, and he could see she accepted Wyatt's point as well.

"A girlfriend would have way more access to my deployment schedule, overhearing phone conversations, meetings at work, whatever. Certainly more than my estranged wife who I only communicate with through lawyers or texts that are only about when to meet the nanny for pick-ups and drop-offs."

Garcia closed his eyes in relief. He let himself collapse into his own chair and allowed that bit of hope to take root.

"That's an excellent point, Wyatt. Garcia?"

He met her eyes and nodded.

She continued. "The question is how to proceed from here. Do either of you know if she's ever met Cahill? Or if she even knows he's her father?"

Wyatt shook his head, but Garcia answered. "She knows he's her father. Her mother left her a letter after she died. But she hasn't wanted to meet him."

"Does anyone else know that?"

"I'm sure Amy does, but none of the rest of our friends know, not even Dave. He's loose-lipped, and there's no way he would be able to keep something like that in."

"No. Amy doesn't know." The two others turned to look at Garcia with wide eyes.

"She told you that but not Amy? Damn," Wyatt was clearly shocked. "She must really care about you," he said, with more than a little bitterness.

"Well, this is going to ruin it," Garcia replied, equally bitter.

"Not necessarily," Denise broke in. "We can do this delicately and still not jeopardize the investigation as long as we plan carefully. Who do you want to break the news about her father? And lead the questioning?"

"Clearly, neither of us can question her," Garcia replied. "But do you think we could tell her about him?"

His friend hesitated. "Not everything. But I think I could let one of you tag along to pick her up and just give her a minimal explanation. Just tell her that her father is being investigated and she needs to be questioned about it. And that one has to be Wyatt."

Garcia opened his mouth to protest. "Garcia, you're…I know this is awkward, but are you sexually involved with her?" He lifted his eyes to the ceiling in embarrassment, but not before catching Wyatt's flinch. Just when he thought this couldn't get more invasive.

"Not…technically. Enough to raise some flags," he answered as quickly as possible before moving on. "Do you think I can call her to explain?"

She grimaced before slowly shaking her head. "I don't think it's wise, no. Sending Agent Logan as her friend is the most we can do, and even at that, he'll be restricted as to what he can say and won't be alone with her. I'm sorry."

He nodded. It was better than he should have expected. "Will you run the interrogation?"

"I only met her once, I don't see any conflict in that as long as Karl is there, too."

"Can you give her until the morning at least? Eight o'clock?" He felt bad for that, as he knew Lucy desperately needed her sleep, but he knew they couldn't wait beyond that.

The reluctance was clear on her face, but Denise finally bobbed her head once in agreement. "Three hours," she conceded.

* * *

Lucy was pulled out of a pleasant dream by an insistent buzzing. She groaned as she rolled over to grab her phone and hit ignore when she saw that Wyatt was calling her at 7:45. A second later her phone buzzed again and she spat out a string of unintelligible curses before answering.

"You ass, I'm sleeping, it's Saturday. What do you want?" She grumbled out.

"I'm sorry I woke you up, Lucy, but it's important. A guy from work and I have to come get you. I'll explain a little more when we get there. I wanted to at least warn you so you could get dressed. We'll be there in fifteen."

"Huh?" Her sleep-addled brain was making no sense.

"Get dressed, Lucy. I'm picking you up at eight."

She growled in frustration as he hung up on her and she fumbled her way to the bathroom. She threw on a long t-shirt and leggings, grabbing her sneakers. "He had better have coffee," she muttered as she brushed her teeth and pulled her hair into a ponytail.

By eight, she was wrapped in a sweater, sitting in a rocker on the front porch. She had on her huge dark sunglasses to block out the offensive brightness of the sun. A plain black SUV pulled up in their driveway and Lucy squinted as Wyatt got out of the passenger side and came up to her. He was in a suit but looked like he hadn't slept a wink. She stared at him in question, waiting for him to speak.

"Come on, Lucy, I've got coffee in the car," Wyatt turned to her and pleaded with his eyes. She might not have feelings for him, but she wasn't immune to his bright blue puppy eyes, and he probably knew it. A put-upon sigh was her only response as she followed him to the SUV where he opened the back door for her.

Once he was seated next to her and she had taken a sip of her coffee, she turned to him in question. "Okay, start talking. First off, what's with the chauffeur?"

"This is Karl. He's Flynn's Assistant Director."

"Oh. Sorry. Hi Karl, I'm Lucy." He nodded at her in the mirror and she waved back before turning back.

"Are you taking me to Garcia? Why isn't he here, why didn't he call me? Oh my gosh, Wyatt, is he okay? Did something happen to him?" Lucy started panicking. He had headed off so quickly last night, with his job, he could easily have gotten shot or…

Wyatt put his hand on hers. "Hey, he's fine, he's okay."

"Iris, is Iris okay?"

"Yeah, they're both fine, Lucy. They're okay." The tight knot that had twisted up her chest eased slightly.

"Okay, then, what the hell is going on?" Wyatt was being squirrely, looking downright guilty now, and it was so unlike him that she knew something was off.

"I can't tell you much, okay? I can only tell you what I'm approved to say." With Lucy's confusion along with her exhaustion, she didn't have patience for the runaround he was giving her. She threw out her hands in complete exasperation to tell him to get on with it. Some of the coffee sloshed out onto her hand and she hissed at the burn. Sucking her hand into her mouth, she let go when Wyatt pulled the coffee from her grasp, although she threw him a dirty look.

"Our task force has been investigating a criminal organization. We narrowed down the leader and it turned out to be a guy named Benjamin Cahill." Like she had jumped into ice-cold water, Lucy's breath deserted her. White noise, white vision, that's all she could hear or see until Wyatt grabbed her face with both hands and swam back into view.

"Lucy! Hey! Calm down and breathe. Breathe." Focusing on Wyatt's face and voice finally pulled her from the white and she breathed through her nose.

"My father? He's some sort of criminal mastermind?" He merely nodded. "I thought he was a pediatric surgeon." She stared out the window for a few minutes.

"If he's not hurt…why wouldn't Garcia come tell me about this himself? Or even call? He's the only one who even knew I had a different father out there."

It was plain that Wyatt did not want to answer her. Or maybe couldn't. She searched his face. "Wait. I'm being taken in for interrogation, aren't I? In case I'm part of it. Right?"

Wyatt blanched. "Lucy, I don't—"

"And Garcia didn't call me or come get me because of our relationship. Because I'm a suspect." Hurt washed over her, quickly followed by anger. She stared out the window, not trusting herself to speak. Finally, they arrived at what she assumed was Garcia's office building.

"So, are you going to cuff me, have me do a perp walk?" Karl laughed until she turned a glare on him and he cut off with a fake cough.

Wyatt's hand landed on her shoulder and squeezed. She looked at him and allowed him to see the hurt in her eyes. "No, Lucy," he said, pained. "You're just going to go answer some questions for Director Christopher and Karl. That's it. Trust me." He was clearly torn up about this, and she softened a little. Dragging her heavy heart and feet, she followed him into the building.

* * *

Garcia sat in the conference room, laptop in front of him, with the CCTV feed streaming from the interrogation room on the wall screen when Wyatt entered. Fists clenched, nostrils flaring, Garcia wouldn't have been surprised if he'd come to punch him.

He would let him.

"Why isn't there anything to break in here that's not over a thousand dollars?" Wyatt fumed.

"I already broke the water pitcher last night."

Wyatt flopped in a seat. They both watched as Lucy was seated in the room. Her hair was still half curled from last night, pulled on top of her head. Looking so young and vulnerable he wanted nothing more than to go hug her. But he couldn't.

"Is it worse to watch or not watch?"

Garcia gave a half-hearted shrug. "I haven't decided yet. They seem equally horrible." He turned to look at the agent. "It was that bad?"

Wyatt snorted. "It was worse than I expected. She had a panic attack when I told her about Cahill. And it took her about two minutes to decide she was a suspect. She's pissed, but she's more hurt than anything."

Garcia cringed and Wyatt dragged a hand down his face. "That wasn't the worst part. If you had any doubts about how she feels about you, you should've seen her in the car. Karl was the most skeptical of her out of all of us and he's captain of Team Lucy now. Practically cried while he was telling Christopher about it."

They paused a minute to listen as Lucy gave answers to the general questions they always started off with, name, job, etc. Her voice was wobbly, and he had to tune it out as he looked at Logan expectantly.

"When she first got in the car, she kept asking where you were, why you weren't there or the one to call her. She thought I was there to tell her something had happened to you. Or to your daughter."

He wished Logan had punched him. It would have hurt a lot less. Squeezing his eyes closed and swiping at his stubble, Garcia bit his tongue to stem the tears that were threatening.

Denise was getting to the more important questions now. With an effort, he turned his attention to Lucy. "Have you had any contact with Benjamin Cahill?"

"No. In Mom's letter she gave me his information, but she was against me ever meeting him. He did leave a voicemail on my office phone once. His message rubbed me the wrong way; I never replied."

"Do you still have it?" Karl cut in.

Lucy shook her head. "It was when I was at Stanford. I really doubt that's saved anywhere. The letter from Mom is in my safe deposit box."

"How long have you known Wyatt Logan?"

Lucy was taken aback at the abrupt subject change. "Um…about six months."

"What is the nature of your relationship?"

"We're friends. He's close with my sister's boyfriend and we all became friends."

"Dave Baumgardner?"

"Yes."

"Have you ever met Jessica Logan?"

"Nooo…. Why would I?"

"Did you have any idea that she was working for your father?"

"As his…bartender?"

"We're not sure in what capacity, but she is working for his criminal organization that uses a charity as its cover."

"I…I had no idea."

"And why did you refuse to date Agent Logan?"

Lucy swiveled her head. The subject changes were meant to throw the witness off, of course, but it grated when it was Lucy. Garcia had to remind himself that Denise was a professional and his friend, but the back-and-forth, shock factor questions were getting on his nerves.

She scoffed, "Uh, because a woman has a right to say no any time she damn well pleases."

Garcia smiled for the first time since he'd left Lucy the night before. Denise's voice clearly betrayed her own amusement as well.

"Of course, but is that the reason you said no?"

"Is he watching this?" Lucy shifted in her seat, obviously uncomfortable.

"Don't worry about him, just answer the question, please."

Lucy paused before answering and Garcia spoke over the feed. "You don't have to watch this. I know it's," he lifted his hands helplessly, "awkward".

Logan huffed. "I think we're past awkward and into 'just fuck it' territory at this point."

"True," Garcia agreed.

Lucy spoke, "I said no because I thought he was still in love with Jessica."

Wyatt hissed like he'd been stung and Garcia felt for him.

"Did he say that or…?"

"He never said it directly, but he always talked about her with this reverence. How he fell in love with her like he was struck by lightning, and I wasn't willing to get in the middle of that."

"Okay. Now tell me about your relationship with Garcia Flynn." His stomach flipped over. He knew it was coming, but…it felt wrong to listen to her being interrogated about him.

"We met last Friday and we've been seeing each other ever since." Lucy squinted at Denise and he could see the moment she started putting the pieces together. "Oh…oh…I see..."

"Shit, here we go," Wyatt breathed out. "How is Christopher going to react if Lucy goes off on her? Because it's about to happen."

"I have no idea. I haven't seen Lucy angry yet."

"It takes a lot but it's not pretty. I don't want her to get in trouble."

Lucy's color was rising and she looked like she was barely restraining herself from jumping up. "So, Amy and Dave. Jessica and Wyatt. Me with Garcia; you think we're what? Whoring ourselves out? Seducing government officials for…information? Distraction? All for the guy who was a sleazy professor who took advantage of one of his students, my MOTHER, by having an affair with her, which resulted in me? Who I hadn't heard from EVER, in the past 35 years? To help him steal babies or body parts and sell them on the black market or whatever the hell it is he's doing, which you still haven't even fucking told me?"

It was impossible not to admire her in that moment, unadvisable as her tirade might have been. She was flushed with righteous anger and it was heartening to see her show so much spirit.

Denise wisely waited long enough for Lucy to take a few deep breaths and calm down slightly. "Okay, so you're not doing that. Right?"

"Of course I'm not doing that! Does HE think…? Oh god, that's what he thinks." Lucy held her hand up to her mouth and shook slightly. Denise handed her a tissue just as Garcia realized she was crying. He hadn't thought he could feel like MORE of an asshole, but, apparently, he could. His first reaction had been to immediately assume she had betrayed him, and hers was to cry for HIS hurt.

"Dammit," Wyatt cursed under his breath.

"What do YOU think about it?" Garcia gritted his teeth. Now wasn't the time, and he didn't think it was necessary, but Lucy still answered.

"I think…I thought…he might be my lightning bolt."

It was the last straw for Garcia, whose heart felt like a giant bruise that kept getting poked. He stood up, but Logan blocked him. For a moment he seriously considered knocking him out, but the flicker of compassion in Wyatt's eyes stopped him and he moved to pace around the room instead.

Fortunately, Denise had heard enough to be thoroughly convinced that Lucy was innocent. She moved on to showing her surveillance pictures to see if she recognized anyone. One after another, she denied recognizing. Until.

"Wait, that one. Is there a better picture of this guy's face?"

"Can you pull those up?" Garcia asked in an aside to Wyatt.

"Yeah, hold on. I haven't seen those, they must be new. They'll be up on the DHS link, but not NSA yet," Wyatt pulled up the surveillance pictures and tried to find the right photo.

Karl had found a forward-facing picture and handed it to Lucy.

"Yeah, this guy. I've seen him before. He was at one of my last lectures in May. Hovered in the back. I assumed he was a parent, but he didn't act like one."

"You're sure?"

"Yes, definitely. Outsiders sometimes come to lectures, but it's rare for one to show up dressed like that without any sort of official notice. And he looked annoyed the whole time, just stood there and stared."

Garcia bit his lip. They hadn't considered so far that she could be in danger. But even if the leader was her father, there were no guarantees of her safety. There could be infighting that would put her at risk, and even her father was an unknown. He hadn't bothered to take care of her so far.

"Got it," Logan pulled it up and turned his screen so Garcia could see it. Recognition slammed into him and he raced out of the room with no explanation, straight to his office. Grabbing a signal jammer and a bug killer out of a cabinet full of random supplies, he ran back to the conference room and switched the signal jammer on.

"Shut your laptop down. All of us have to get out of here now."

"Flynn, what's happening?"

He looked at the time left on the signal jammer. Two minutes. "That guy is my old boss, Jake Neville. He's NSA."

Wyatt's eyes blew wide with shock and then darted to the security camera in the corner of the room. "How do we? What do we say?" Garcia grabbed his laptop and let himself think for a few seconds to piece together a plan. He gestured Wyatt ahead of him after he had grabbed his own computer and they made their way to the elevator together.

"We have to look as normal as possible. You go down there and knock on the door. Pull Denise out and tell her that I said I could use a Rittenhouse Rye, and I know she has one in her desk at DHS. Tell her we should go get it." The agent was looking at him quizzically and he tried not to get frustrated that he wasn't following. "It's a safe word. She'll know I'm telling her to get out, and the pretense will clue her in to act natural. I'm going to go get my car and I'll be at the entrance when you come out."

The signal jammer beeped and Logan nodded at him. Garcia took comfort in the confidence on the his face and tried to will himself into that same soldier mode. He slipped the device back in his pocket as they exited the elevator. He watched Logan head straight for interrogation while he went out the side exit to the parking lot, trying not to run.

"I haven't seen any of these other people anywhere. Not that I've noticed, anyway." Lucy slumped back in her chair. Her earlier rage had dulled and now the hurt was making itself more known each second in the way her heart ached with every beat.

Garcia thought she had betrayed him. Or even intentionally targeted him, seduced him like she was a Bond girl. Which was laughable, she was a terrible liar. She knew what it looked like, given what she now knew about Jessica, but still... Jessica. _Poor Wyatt_.

If Garcia didn't trust her, how could they ever be together? She wasn't sure she could just pick up where they left off with flirty meals and kissing on his couch. She'd been sure they were falling in love last night, but now?

There was a knock at the door and Director Christopher and Karl exchanged a puzzled look. Denise took the initiative to answer it. Lucy could tell it was Wyatt by the cadence of his mumbling, but she couldn't make out the words. The director came back in the room and gathered up the pictures from the table.

"We need to go to my office at DHS. There are more surveillance photos there we'd like you to take a look at."

Karl made a noise as if to question her, but she stopped him with a hand. "We'll discuss it in the car, okay, Karl?" Her words were casual and so was her tone, but there was a firmness in them that told Lucy this wasn't a simple request. She followed Denise out and Karl brought up the rear. Wyatt held the door open for the three of them. He caught her eye with the apology in his own and she inclined her head to let him know she wasn't angry with him. There was enough suffering for him without her anger on top of it.

Garcia's car was at the curb and Lucy balked. She felt Wyatt place a hand in her back to gently push her forward and he opened the car door for her. It was such a jarring contrast to the last time she'd been in the car that she almost refused to take the passenger seat. But Wyatt kept pushing, so she climbed in, looking anywhere but at the driver. Desperate not to think about the last time she was in this car, she stared at the dashboard. Of course, all she could think about was his hand running down her arm, his hand in hers, his adoring eyes on her, and especially that one kiss that was so full of tenderness it had made her want to cry.

Which was what she really felt like doing now, but she wasn't going to break down in front of these people again. She shoved the memories into a box in her mind and locked it tight.

"Lucy, I…" His voice was scratchy from lack of sleep and she closed her eyes to keep from looking at him.

"Not now. Not here," she whispered the words before turning to stare out the side window. The other four, including some guy whose name she didn't know, filled the other two rows before Garcia took off.

"Garcia, what's the danger?" Denise asked from the seat behind Lucy's.

"Not until we're off campus." They exited onto the main road. "Okay."

"Wait, did you sweep the car?" Wyatt asked and Lucy couldn't help but turn to look at him perplexed.

"It's clean. No bugs or cameras."

"Okay, so tell us what the problem is," Lucy seconded the impatience in Director Christopher's voice even as she bristled at the agent who'd been questioning her for the past hour.

"The man you recognized, Lucy, he's my old boss from Fort Meade. He's NSA."

"Shit," Denise said as Karl and nameless guy from the back echoed her sentiments.

"Okay, but what does that mean?" Lucy dared to look at him from the corner of her eye and felt her heart twinge at how disheveled he was. Dark circles under his red-rimmed eyes, rumpled hair, tie askew, the same tie she'd taken off…she shut down her train of thought.

"It means that he's involved in this organization. And he's had access to our investigation every step of the way, which means that…especially with him showing up before, he could be dangerous. To you."

"But if he works for my father, shouldn't that mean I am safe?"

"It SHOULD, but we really don't know what their relationship is, or any of the relationships between these people. Cahill might not necessarily be in charge, or Neville could be looking for leverage to use against him. If he meant you no harm, there was no reason to show up in your classroom," Denise put a hand on Lucy's shoulder. She was sure it was meant to be comforting, but her nerves were shot and she tensed before the hand was removed.

"Where are we headed?" Karl piped up from the back.

"To DHS, to regroup and figure out our next steps. Are we safe there?"

"I think so," said Denise. "We'll sweep my office and keep anyone out of the loop other than those in this car."

"Can I go home?" Lucy asked the group at large.

"No," three voices spoke at once, but Garcia continued. "You can't go home until we know you're going to be safe, which means we have to get these guys into custody. It's going to take at least a day or two to compile that kind of evidence."

"What do I do then?" Lucy hated that her voice broke on the last word.

"You'll have to stay with one of us," Denise answered after a loaded pause.

"That's ridiculous, why can't I just go to a hotel or something, or stay with Jiya?"

"You want to bring Jiya and Rufus into this? Or Amy?" Wyatt cut in and Lucy huffed in frustration. All she wanted to do was go home, to her room, and have a hard cry where there was no one to witness it. Thanks to the universe, or her…father, sperm donor, mafia don…she couldn't even have that. To go stay with one of them? Denise, who'd just ripped her apart for an hour? She'd been professionally detached about it, sure, but it still rankled, and it didn't exactly give them "come crash on my couch, it's cool" status.

She saw Garcia exchange a significant glance with Denise. The older woman turned to the others and began a conversation about where to look for the evidence they'd need. Garcia checked to make sure they had privacy before leaning over to her. They were stopped at a red light that was definitive proof to Lucy that the universe was out to get her.

"I would feel best if you'd stay with me."

"Why, so you can keep your witness safe? What if I lure you into my bed and kill you like a praying mantis for my evil father?" She heard the acid in her hushed tone but couldn't bring herself to tone it down.

"Because I want to keep YOU safe, and I enjoy your company," to her chagrin, that melted away half of her anger with him. Which was annoying. She was hurt, dammit, and she wanted to focus on that rage and punish him for it instead of feeling every edge of the open wound inside her chest.

"What are the other options?" She bit out and his pained sigh made her feel guilty despite the fact that he frankly deserved it.

"You can stay with Denise and Michelle. Or you can stay with Wyatt…" There was such resignation in his voice. A dark part of her whispered that she ought stay with Wyatt out of spite, but that wouldn't be fair to Wyatt or Garcia. As much as she might want to be, she just wasn't that vengeful. "We have a guest room, and Iris has a second twin bed in her room, if you'd be more comfortable with that."

They had pulled into the lot of DHS headquarters. Garcia parked while Lucy stared at her hands and pondered her choice. The others climbed out. She finally let herself look at him fully. His eyes were desperate and it broke her resolve.

"I'll stay with you. But I'm still really upset. I need time."

His whole body sagged with relief. "Thank you. And I know. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, and I know we need to talk and figure it all out, but I'll wait, Lucy. However long you need, whatever you need. Even if it's to scream at me."

"You might regret it, because I'm probably going to take you up on that."

Garcia climbed out of the car and went around to meet her on the other side of the car, stopping her before she followed the others. He looked in her eyes. "I won't."


	11. Eye of the Storm

_Disclaimer: I don't own Timeless._

Lucy had been escorted to a waiting room of sorts, and her phone had been confiscated.

"What am I supposed to do in here for hours without any internet or books or anything? And what is Amy going to think?" She half-glared, half-pleaded at Wyatt.

"Director Christopher decided that we'll have to partially read Dave in, just enough to know that you're involved in an investigation and staying with Flynn for your safety. He'll keep her with him and keep an eye out for any trouble."

"And you think he is going to be able to keep that from her? _Dave?_ "

Wyatt chuckled. "He keeps his mouth shut when it's a matter of security. Can't get to be Delta Force otherwise. I think that's why he can't keep regular secrets to save his life. He's keeping too many state secrets."

Lucy tipped her head in acknowledgement of that.

"As for entertainment," Wyatt pointed to the TV in the corner of the room. "It's got Netflix, even though the browser is disabled."

"Okay," she agreed. "Can you get Amy to pack me a bag and bring it?"

"I'll check and see. You wouldn't be able to tell her anything, you know?"

"Yeah," Lucy breathed out in defeat and slunk into the nearest loveseat.

"Hey, I'm sorry you have to wait here. But we're going to try to solve this as fast as possible."

"I know," she intoned, staring at the gray-blue paint of the wall. His hand dropped to her shoulder and squeezed before he turned to go.

Right as he reached the door, he turned back hesitantly. "Maybe think about going easy on Flynn, too, okay? This whole thing is really tearing the guy up."

The door quietly clicked closed before Lucy could respond. Not that she knew how to respond to Wyatt, of all people, advocating for Garcia. Scrubbing a hand over her tired face, she grabbed the remote and flipped through the channels until she found an old Dick Van Dyke Show rerun. Curling up on her side with her face buried in a throw pillow, she let the gates open as she cried her heart out.

She woke to a gentle shake and a familiar hand tracing circles on her arm. "Garcia?" she breathed out, eyes still closed, smiling. Then, as she opened her eyes and took in Garcia's anxious face, the memories of the morning rushed in and her face fell. He yanked his hand back as she jerked upright and it hung awkwardly in midair as she looked at him expectantly.

"Amy's here with your things," he explained softly.

"Okay," when he didn't leave, she added, "I know, don't tell her anything."

His eyes closed and he ran a hair through his hair. "I know you won't. I was going to ask—it's noon. I have to go pick up Iris from her sleepover. And…I would like to bring her here with you." He opened his eyes and bit his lip. "That is, if it's okay with you. If you're not going to…" she watched him swallow as he looked down miserably. She caught the gist.

"Garcia, I'm hurt and I'm mad at you. I'm not going to dump you."

"You're sure?" he whispered, finally bringing his eyes up to look in her own.

"I have some serious concerns about how we make a relationship work if you don't trust me, but no, I'm not."

"I do trust you. I do. I had a…a temporary lapse…when I first found out, I'll admit it. That wasn't about you so much as—damn it, I'll have to explain it later. Amy is going to come in any second. Are you sure Iris can come?"

"Yes," she nodded. "I would love to spend time with her." It was true. Hanging out with Iris was the only thing to happen that day that Lucy would actively choose for herself if given the choice.

"Okay, I'll go get her then," he moved like he was going to hug her, but he thought better of it. She was both disappointed and relieved, because as much as she missed his touch, it would probably shatter her. He opened the door to Amy, who he conjured up a tight smile for before leaving without a word.

Amy came toward her and Lucy tried valiantly to paste on a bright smile for her, but this was her sister, and she immediately knew.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Lucy fought against the tears and managed to keep them from falling, but she knew Amy had seen them well up in her eyes.

"What did he do?" Amy asked angrily even as she wrapped her arms around her.

"He didn't DO anything exactly, he just…" Lucy bit her tongue against all the words she wanted to say, all the truths she was holding back that wanted to spill out. "We had a…a misunderstanding…and then he got called in to work on this high-pressure case and we haven't gotten a chance to hash things out yet." She prayed that it would be sufficient answer, because that was as much as she could say without oversharing.

Amy pulled back and looked at her in concern. "You don't have to stay with him, you know? We can go home, I can send Dave to his place and we can hang out, just the two of us. You say the word."

Lucy nearly showed her panic at that. Amy had to go to Dave's for her own safety.

"No, Amy, I want to stay there. Fix things. It…does it always feel like this for you?"

"Like what?"

"It hurts to be away from him. Even if I'm mad as hell at him or hurt because of him, it's worse to be away from him than not."

"Lucy," Amy pulled back and stared at her for a full minute in shock. "You're in love with him."

"I…" Lucy gulped. "I…but I can't be, can I? It's only been a week."

Amy just cocked her head to the side. "Aren't you though?"

She didn't even have to think about it. "Yes. Dammit. That's really inconvenient."

A laugh bubbled out of Amy and she patted Lucy on the head. "Oh, I know. But, hey, it means you're doing the right thing, working through it."

Lucy nodded absentmindedly in response.

"Look, it does get better as your relationship gets further along. It's harder at the beginning because you aren't as secure yet. Remember the first fight Dave and I had? I cried for like two days and ate all that ice cream."

"Yeah, I remember it was bad."

"And remember our last fight?"

"You didn't talk to him for four days and were still pissed when he showed up," Lucy grinned.

"Right. And we're fine. I think you'll get there, just talk to him. Don't do that thing where you pretend everything's fine while you're dying inside."

"I don't—" Lucy quailed at the 'cut the bullshit' look Amy gave her. "I won't."

"Okay. Good. I've got to go, Dave's waiting. If you need me, call, okay?"

"Okay," she hugged her sister again, feeling the weight from the guilt of leaving so much unsaid. Amy would understand when she found out, but it still felt wrong. Amy waved as she left and Lucy sat back down to think.

* * *

"Okay, but isn't he like way too old for Betty?"

Iris had been delighted to come hang out with Lucy in the waiting room. She had run in and hugged Lucy like she was a long-lost friend, and Lucy realized she was falling in love with the spunky little girl. Two-for-two.

Garcia had come back with pizza and drinks for their lunch and they had eaten before putting on White Christmas.

"Well…I think they were trying to pretend that he was younger than he was in real life. Sometimes people fall in love with people who are much older or younger, but yeah, 25 years is a lot."

"Yeah, that's kind of gross. That's more than you and Dad, right?"

A piece of popcorn lodged in Lucy's throat as she gasped, and she coughed before grabbing her water and taking several gulps.

Finally, she managed to respond. "Way more than your dad and me. We're only…I just realized I don't know how old he is. But there's no way he's anywhere near sixty, so we're good."

"He's forty-three."

"I'm thirty-five, so only eight years."

"So…that's like me dating a seventeen-year-old."

"Ew, NO!" The handful of popcorn she had grabbed went back in the bowl. This conversation would likely be safer sans choke-able foods. "No. The age difference matters less as you get older. Once you're an adult only. Not to mention I'm positive you aren't allowed to date yet."

Her face scrunched adorably. "Not until I'm fifteen, Dad says."

"Do you want to date boys right now?"

"Um, no. I mean, some of the boys might be kind of cute, but they say really dumb stuff."

"Eh, some things change with age, that one really doesn't, unfortunately," Lucy shrugged ruefully.

"Is that why you're mad at Dad? Did he say something stupid?" Iris's green eyes were looking up at her sadly and Lucy blew out slowly. She wasn't sure what Garcia would be okay with her saying. Or what was even legal or safe to say.

"We had a…misunderstanding…and we didn't get a chance to work it out yet because he had to come work."

"Are you going to work it out?"

Lucy bit her tongue to keep herself from promising that they would.

"I think so, honey," looking sadly back at Iris. "Oh, I love this song," Lucy redirected Iris back to the movie as Bing Crosby started to sing "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep". He might have been a terrible father, but the man had excellent timing.

The hours ticked by as Lucy and Iris stayed locked in that room together. The longer it took, the more Lucy felt like they would lose. They were both getting bored and antsy, and Lucy was getting increasingly worried. She tried to distract Iris however she could, with the exception of answering Iris's increasingly personal questions. Still in full-blown sleepover mode, Iris suggested they paint each other's nails and braid each other's hair. Later, with neon pink nails and toes that matched Iris's, each of them sporting equally wonky braids—Lucy never claimed to be a pro at the girly stuff—they finished White Christmas and took turns reading chapters out of the end of the Hunger Games. Finally, as they were slumped on the loveseat, with Iris's feet dangling over the arm rest and her head in Lucy's lap as she dozed, the door clicked open and Garcia entered.

Those eyes would be the death of her, Lucy thought, as they went impossibly soft at the sight of the two of them. He was obviously dead on his feet, rumpled all over and his eyes were bloodshot. As tired as he was, he still glided over to them gracefully enough that Lucy was envious.

"She didn't get much sleep last night," Lucy whispered.

"That makes two of us," he whispered back.

"How is it going?"

Garcia ran a hand over his weary face. "We're making progress, but not there yet. It'll probably be at least another day."

"Do we have to stay that long?"

"No, I have been ordered off the premises and told not to come back until I get called in."

"Oh, thank God," Lucy breathed out before gently lifting Iris's head so she could stand up and help him clean up the mess and collect their bags.

Once they were ready to go, Garcia woke Iris and she leaned against him as they stumbled to the car. Lucy held out her hand like she wanted a tip and he looked at her like she was crazy.

"Keys. You are not in any condition to drive."

He handed them over without complaint. "Do you have food in your fridge that doesn't require cooking?" Lucy asked as he climbed into the passenger side after Iris had settled in the back.

"Not really, unless you want cereal or pop-tarts."

"Drive-thru?"

Humming his agreement, he leaned on his hand. Tempted as she was to grab his other hand, she had decided to try to wait for touching until after they talked. However, as the day had drawn on (and on and on), her anger and resolve had drained away. She just wanted them to be okay again.

At the drive-thru, she decided on basic cheeseburger meals for all of them, knowing her sleeping passengers probably wouldn't care. Her heart squeezed as she realized how attached she was growing to the two of them.

They were both asleep as she pulled into the driveway, and Lucy checked the time. 7:30. She took a moment to take in Garcia's face as it was relaxed in sleep, his mouth slightly open.

"Garcia," she said quietly to wake him. "Garcia. Hey." Finally, she leaned over and gently stroked the side of his face. He made a soft strangled noise and leaned into her hand, bringing his own rough hand up to cover hers. Eyes blinked open and stared at her with a look of such open adoration that the revelation burned straight through to her heart. He loved her. He LOVED her, and it was a balm for the pain in her chest.

"Are we home?" Iris stirred awake.

"We are," Lucy answered. She turned back to look at Garcia, who met her eyes plaintively and lifted her hand to his lips slowly, as if asking her permission. She smiled softly at him and he kissed her knuckles. Lucy had a briefly flashed to paintings of subjects kneeling in penitence before their monarchs in medieval times, and a giggle slipped out at the ridiculousness of the thought. His lips turned up at her as he tilted his head to the side as if to puzzle her out.

"It smells like cheeseburgers, I'm starving," Iris called from the backseat and Lucy jumped.

"Yeah, I went through the drive-thru. Ready to go inside?"

Lucy almost had to laugh at them. They were both trying so hard to stay awake. For all that Iris looked like her mother, she and Garcia wore the exact same face of exhaustion. Heads propped on hands, hair askew, mouths slack when not occupied, she wouldn't have been surprised if either of them fell face first asleep onto the dining table.

"Okay, you both need to go to bed," Lucy said as soon as they had finished. At their soft sounds of protest, Lucy looked at them each pointedly in turn. "Don't you?"

"Yeah, okay," Iris mumbled. "I'll go get ready. Will you come up to say goodnight?"

"Sure, honey, I'll be there in a few minutes. I'm going to get my stuff settled first."

Iris slowly shuffled out of the room and Lucy felt the tone of the room shift as she found herself alone with Garcia. She gathered up the wrappers into the takeout bag to give herself a moment to compose herself as her nerves were jangling.

"Trying to get me into bed, Lucy?" She whirled around to give him a look of disbelief, only to find him blushing and…was he giggling?

"Sorry, I was just kidding. Ill-advisedly, I admit," he sobered as she stared. "I was hoping we would be able to talk tonight."

Lucy sighed. "I know. But, you are dead on your feet. It can wait until tomorrow."

He licked his lips and ran a hand over his stubble. "But…"

"I'll still be here tomorrow, Garcia. Come on, show me to the guest room?"

To his credit, he steadfastly avoided showing his disappointment, although she knew it was there. Ushering her down the hallway, he grabbed a set of clean sheets, and pointed out the bathroom before showing her into the guest room. Like the rest of the house, it was comfortable looking, full of warm tones, although the walls were bare.

"Sorry, it's a bit sparse. We don't have a lot of guests."

"I'm fine; I'm sure I'll be comfortable."

He was fighting a yawn, leaning against the doorframe, yet he still looked at her forlorn, not wanting to leave her. Shaking his head, he made himself speak.

"I'm going to go double-check the alarm and take a shower before going to bed. There will be two uniformed officers outside all night—Denise knows and trusts them. Just don't…don't go outside, okay?"

"I won't, but do you think all of that is necessary? Officers and everything?" Weirdly enough, it hadn't occurred to Lucy to be scared until now. But realizing the lengths to which they were going to keep her safe made the nerves along her spine creep. Garcia must have read the fear in her eyes, because he stepped close to her and grabbed her shoulder bracingly.

"I hope it isn't, Lucy. But I'm not taking any chances with your safety. I'll keep you safe. Okay?"

She looked up into his eyes and made herself nod, although she wanted him to hold her. "Okay. Goodnight," she added reluctantly.

"Goodnight, Lucy," he closed the door behind him and she collapsed onto the bed.

A few minutes later, she threw her overnight bag on the newly made bed in frustration. She was going to kill Amy. Slowly. Entertaining herself by debating between boiling water and flesh-eating slugs, she made her way down the hall to the master bedroom. She could hear Iris in the hall bathroom as she knocked lightly on Garcia's door.

"Can I borr—" Lucy's words stopped abruptly as she was met with the sight of Garcia's bare chest and her breath rushed out of her.

"Lucy," he said in surprise. She let her eyes roam across his muscled arms and down his broad chest. He was still wearing his work pants. At his shocked chuckle, she jerked her eyes back up to his face. Her face flamed as she took in his smirk. "Can I help you with something, Lucy?"

"Shirt!"

"You want me to put a shirt on before you tell me what you need?" His mouth twisted like he was confused but also trying to avoid laughing at her. She put her hands over her face to try to cool it down.

"No! I need to borrow a shirt. For after my shower. To sleep in."

"I thought Amy packed you some clothes."

"She did," Lucy scrunched her face in embarrassment. "But she didn't pack any pajamas."

Confusion flashed across his eyes before they went wide. "Oh. OH. Yes, I have…" Lucy smirked a little as he crossed to his dresser. He came back to hand her a gray t-shirt.

"Thank you," she looked up at him.

"You're welcome, but…do you need any…any pants?" He was blushing now.

"I really doubt any of your pants would fit me. I would probably trip over the hems." She couldn't help but tease him a little herself now that the shoe was on the other foot. "I think the shirt will be long enough."

He grew very still at that, and his eyes went blank as though his brain had shorted out. Lucy placed a hand on his chest, delighting in the firmness of it as she pulled him down. Placing a swift kiss on his cheek, she darted swiftly down the hall before he could respond.

* * *

As exhausted as he was, Garcia wasn't sure how he was going to sleep now. Even after a hot shower, he still felt goosebumps rise at the thought of Lucy in his t-shirt…. Now he was being tortured by that as well as worries about the talk they hadn't had yet. She wasn't the kind of woman to tell him she would stay and flirt with him if she was done, he knew that. But he also knew he had some explaining and apologizing to do before they were back on solid ground, and he was uneasy with putting that off.

He made his way to Iris's bedroom and stopped dead when he heard the two of them talking.

"My mom used to sing it to me."

"Mine did too."

"Would you sing it for me, Lucy?"

"Are you sure you would want me to do that? Since that was your special thing with your mom?" There was a pause, and Iris must have nodded because Lucy started singing. _I wished on the moon…_

Garcia's throat closed. Lucy's voice was…she had said she loved music but hadn't let on that she could REALLY sing. The moment blurred as he remembered Lorena humming the song, singing to Iris, singing as she danced with him. The threads of time knit past, present and future together and he felt like it was…oh, he was becoming a sap, but it felt like a sign. No, it was a blessing.

Lorena would have loved Lucy. Not that they would have met if she had been alive, and it bent his mind to try to straighten that out. They had talked about it, of course, as all responsible parents did. Especially with his job, it had seemed much more likely that she would have been the one left behind. Nevertheless, she had told him if anything happened to her that she wanted him to move on. He had spent the past three years ignoring her voice in the back of his mind. "On your own, you get too in your head, you get too pessimistic, Garcia. You need someone to pull you back into the world, to remind you of its beauty. To remind you of yours." That was Lucy.

As she finished the song, Lucy whispered "Goodnight, honey," to Iris, and stepped straight into his chest as she opened the door. He grabbed her arms and smiled as he was reminded of their locker room meeting.

"I hope that was okay," she was biting her lip, ducking her head. "I don't want…I don't want it to seem like I'm trying to take her place."

"Iris asked you to. I'm okay with it. Are you okay?" He tipped her chin up and saw her eyes looked strained, like she was holding back tears.

"It's just…I haven't sung it since Mom died. And today, with…everything…" she shrugged, and his heart broke for her. He pulled her close, rubbing his hand down her back. For a moment, she clung to him desperately, but then she broke away. "Iris is waiting for you."

"Lucy…"

"I'm going to take a shower. I'm fine." Garcia just looked at her as she gave him the world's fakest smile. Her eyes were begging him not to push, and as much as he didn't want to, he backed off.

"If you need me, come get me, okay?"

"Yeah," she nodded, already moving away, probably to cry by herself. He ran a hand down his face in defeat before going in to say goodnight to his daughter.

"Goodnight, sweetheart," he sat down on the bed beside her and smoothed her hair, still in its messy braid.

"Dad? What did you do to Lucy?"

His shoulders slumped. He didn't want to do this now. But his daughter wasn't likely to care.

"We had a…sort of disagreement. I hurt her feelings," was the lamest way to put it, but it was pretty much all he could say.

"You should apologize."

"I've been trying, I just kept getting interrupted. And I don't think she's ready to hear it. I have to respect that."

"Dad. You have to fix it. We need Lucy. You can't let her go away."

"I'm going to do my best, Iris."

"Seriously, Dad. Kiss Lucy and make up. I'm going to sleep." He shook his head as she shut her own light off and shooed him out the door as he kissed her head.

Garcia hesitated as he passed the hall bathroom. He could hear the exhaust fan whirring and he raised his hand, thinking of knocking. There was a muffled sob, but the water immediately turned on, and he stopped his fist just short of the door. He stood there for a full minute, listening to the water and the sound of Lucy crying, fighting the urge to go in and hold her. Finally, he gave up and went to his room, determined to catch her afterward. But the clean sheets were soft and inviting and he'd been up for over 36 hours, and his exhaustion pulled him under before he was even aware it was happening.

The clock glowed 12:27 when Garcia gave up on sleep and went downstairs, carrying a book with him. It had only been about eight when he went to bed, so of course he'd woken a few hours later and been unable to go back to sleep. Thinking of the day, thinking of the problems presented by Neville and Cahill and their cohorts. Thinking of Lucy. It didn't make any sense that his bed felt too big without her, as she'd never been in it, but it did. In fact, no one had ever been with him in that bed except Iris, but somehow he still felt like Lucy was missing from it. He laid down on the couch and opened Lucy's book, figuring that the only thing likely to distract from thoughts of Lucy was Lucy herself.

Pulled in as he was by the account of the assassination of President McKinley, the third assassination at which he had been present*-the poor man really might have been a harbinger of presidential death-he wasn't immediately disturbed by the sounds from Lucy's room. Slowly, he became aware that something was wrong, and he quickly, but remarkably quietly for a man of his size, bounded up the stairs and down the hall.

"Flynn! Flynn!" She was calling softly but sounded like she was terrified. That was weird—she had never called him that. He burst into the room and searched it wildly, arms out, as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. Empty.

"Lucy," she was kicking on the bed, and from the light filtering in from the hall, he could see that she was crying. "Lucy," he climbed on the bed and tried to shake her gently, but she whimpered and kicked, this time hitting him in the shin. Giving up on waking her gently, he flipped on the lamp on the bedside table. She stilled for a second before her eyes blinked open.

"Flynn!" she cried and grabbed his neck, kissing him full on the mouth. He was so surprised that he couldn't respond before she was running her hands down his chest and pulling up his shirt. Reacting instinctively, he grabbed her wrist.

"Lucy, not like—"

"I have to check the bleeding!" She yanked up the hem of his t-shirt and inspected his abdomen, her hands smoothing over it and his back, bewildered when she didn't find anything. Sitting back she shook her head and looked up at him. "You're fine. You're…how are you fine?"

"I think you were dreaming. What happened?"

"You were stabbed in the side, I was too far away, I couldn't…but it was wrong, we weren't here, we were dressed differently…it was all wrong. It doesn't make any sense."

"It was a dream, Lucy," he was trying to get his own heart rate back to normal now. "We're in my house, we're fine. I'm fine."

"You're…you're fine." She leaped at him, surprisingly strongly, knocking him onto his back on the bed. The grip she had him in felt desperate, and he held her back, trying to reassure her with his soft words and his presence.

After a few minutes, his shirt was wet, but she was now calmly resting in his arms. He made himself sit up. "Do you think you can sleep now?"

"Mm-hmm," was her only answer, so he stood up and cut the light off before opening the door and heading back downstairs.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"To sleep," he answered as she came to the door.

"Downstairs? Did you…did you banish yourself to your own couch?"

"No," he chuckled, "I woke up and when I couldn't go back to sleep, I went downstairs."

For a moment, she just stared at him in exasperation. Then, her hand was pulling him by the shirt, down the hall toward his room. "Come on," she said.

He followed her wordlessly into his darkened room, until he crawled into his bed and she followed. "Lucy, what?"

"Just for sleeping. Is that okay?"

"It's more than okay. But can we talk?"

She sighed. "If you're up to it, yes."

He sat up and cut on a dim lamp, wanting to look at her as they talked. "Lucy, I'm so sorry. For everything you went through today."

Lucy pulled him down until he was lying on his side, facing her. "Can you tell me anything? Can you tell me what happened last night?"

"Yeah. We've been tracking this organization for a while, and we identified Cahill early this week. We've been investigating him—well, him and Jessica Logan—since Monday. And last night, the warrants came through on a sealed document in his background. It turned out to be your birth certificate."

"And you immediately decided to ask me about it and give me the benefit of the doubt?" She looked at him unflinchingly and it cut him to the bone.

Wincing, eyes shut, he made himself say it. "I…I assumed— _temporarily—_ that you had gotten…close…to me as part of a scheme. To follow our investigation, or divert attention, or something of the sort."

Lucy huffed. "So, I get that we haven't known each other that long, and maybe I don't have a lot of trust earned yet, but why immediately assume the worst?"

Garcia sighed and looked at her. "That's something you'll learn about me, Lucy. I'm not very optimistic. Too long at war, I've seen too many terrible things, seen people do too many terrible things. I never really loved anyone but my mother until Lorena, and they were both taken from me so early. And then there's just…you."

Lucy just waved her hand to tell him to continue.

"Lucy, you're…you're almost too perfect for me. Everything I find out about you, it's something that matches me exactly. Things I don't even know to ask for, like how you geek out over history, how you love your sister, your friends, how you jump right in with Iris. How you're setting out on your own after following in your mother's footsteps for so long. How you're so completely unaware of how beautiful and brilliant you are."

She was shaking her head at him, and he held up his hand to stop her, gently cradling her cheek.

"The odds of me finding you and you deciding to be with me weren't in my favor. And with learning about Wyatt's wife, it didn't seem possible that it wasn't a trap."

"It's not really fair how good you are at this," she looked slightly annoyed, despite her small smile.

"I'm not trying to bullshit you, Lucy, it's just the truth."

She rolled her eyes. "So, then what?"

"Well, then, a few hours later, Denise came in and told me to stop assuming the worst without evidence, and Wyatt came in and reamed me out, but then made some excellent points."

"Such as?"

"Such as that if you had been targeting either the task force or Delta Force, you wouldn't have turned him down once, much less repeatedly."

"Mm-hmm. That probably should have been obvious."

"It was once he said it. I was too emotional before to even think of it."

"So, you sent him?"

"Actually, I argued to at least call you. Sending Wyatt was a compromise. I'm sorry that I wasn't there…"

"I forgive you," she whispered.

He bit his lip. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she slid her arm around his waist. "I don't love that you immediately assumed the worst of me, but…I'm hoping with time you'll come to trust me more. It is a bizarre coincidence. I can see how you might have thought that."

"I don't deserve you."

"Hey," she waited for him to look at her. "Just next time, remember that you aren't the only one in this relationship that cares about the other person?"

"Okay," he said.

"Alright, now can we go to sleep? Are you really okay with me in here—you know, with Iris here?"

"Yes, it's fine, but are you okay? With your…with Cahill?"

She closed her eyes and shook her head, biting her lip. "No. But I'm not sure there's anything you can do about that." She shrugged and he recognized her desire to drop it for now.

With that, he turned the light off and pulled the covers over them. "Well, Lucy, I hope you like to sleep close because I don't think I can let go of you tonight." He gently lifted her until she was lying halfway across his chest.

"Mmm," she hummed at him, throwing a leg over his and slipping an arm up to rest on his stomach. She lifted her head up and kissed him gently. He returned the kiss like a man dying of thirst, and he drank thoroughly from her mouth, even as he tried to temper the passion in it. She hadn't come for that, and it wouldn't have been a wise decision after the day they'd both had.

He did, however, slide a hand down her leg to rest on the back of her thigh as they pulled away. "I am disappointed that you didn't stick with your 'no pants' decision."

"I got cold," she chuckled weakly at him. She was fading fast.

"I'll make sure the thermostat is set higher tomorrow night," he smirked down at her.

"Go to sleep, Garcia," she said, but her words were without heat, and he could hear in them the sound of her smile.

"Yes, love," he whispered back as he tightened his hold on her, twisting the fingers of one hand into her hair, the other on her hip, and relaxed into sleep as he breathed in the delicious scent of her.

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, so a couple of things. This will be more than 12 chapters (clearly), but not by much. Next chapter, we're back into the thick of it.

Secondly, *I changed this from the historically accurate fact (RTL was actually present at two presidential assassinations, neither of which was his father's). I had some timeline confusion and thought for a hot minute that it needed to be the historically accurate fact due to the merging, but that would have stayed as they changed it in 1 x 02. It doesn't really affect the story much, but if you're one for details, just FYI.


	12. Into the Fire

_Disclaimer: I do not own Timeless._

* * *

Lucy woke with a contented hum but immediately frowned. The feel of Garcia all around her was delightful, their legs tangled together, one of his hands was tucked under her (probably asleep from the weight of her, though she hoped not), while the other had traveled inside her (his) shirt to span the skin of her waist. Her head rose and fall with his breath and she could feel his heartbeat under the hand that was pressed against his chest. All she wanted to do was savor it. So of course, she woke up with a full bladder.

She tried to slip out of the bed without disturbing him, but he made a small whine of protest and his hand tightened around her waist. The other hand ran up into her hair and tipped her head back, making her gasp, just before his open mouth swooped down to catch hers as he leaned over her, and she melted right into his mattress. Next thing she knew, his mouth was hot and soft against her neck, and she wanted to lean into him, but…"OH…oh no," she pushed against his chest. "Let me up."

"Okay, but if you're going to brush your teeth or some such nonsense, I'd rather you just—"

"I have to pee NOW!"

"Oh," he sat up on his heels and she darted to the en suite bathroom as quickly as possible. A couple of minutes later (during which she DID swish toothpaste around in her mouth), she came out blushing.

Garcia was sitting up against the headboard, watching her with a sweet smile. Her nose crinkled in embarrassment. "Well, that was romantic."

He laughed wholeheartedly, and she couldn't help but join in, seeing his mirth.

"Come here," he gestured her over to the bed.

"I don't know if I should. It's 8:30, Iris could wake up…"

"So I won't grope you. I just want a chance to hold you, I didn't get to enjoy it as long as I would have liked."

Even if she had wanted to say no, she couldn't have, not with his eyes open and imploring and his arms looking so warm and inviting. She crawled between his outstretched legs and leaned back against his chest. He smiled against her skin as he kissed behind her ear, and she hugged the arms that were wrapped around her waist. They fit together perfectly.

"Lucy, are we okay? I feel like maybe you were easier on me last night than you wanted to be."

She thought about that for a moment. It was true that she hadn't yelled or anything like she initially had felt like doing. But with the revelations about her father, the investigation…there were bigger things happening that were throwing her for a loop.

"I'm not okay yet. I mean, my father is some sort of terrible criminal. I never did find out what he's been doing, but I get that DHS and the NSA wouldn't be involved if it was just fraud or insider trading or anything like that."

Lucy looked up to see Garcia frowning grimly, and she took that as confirmation.

"As for us, we're better, although I don't think we're 100%. But it hurts too much to stay away from you. It's at least as much a punishment for me as for you and, with everything else, I'm not willing to do that to myself."

He leaned his face against the back of her head. "It killed me. I know I deserved it, but it was excruciating."

"Well, that's the other part, but I realized something. If you had believed immediately that I was innocent, would it have even changed anything? For me?"

Garcia sighed heavily. "No, it wouldn't have changed our actions. By the time everyone was there and we were deciding what to do, I had already come around. I still wouldn't have been able to see or talk to you. You would still have had to be questioned that way…which I really should apologize for, too. I'm sorry that was so…" He waved his hand in a circle as he searched for the word.

"Invasive? Insulting?"

"Yes, and I'm sorry. I'm used to it and it was driving me insane, so I know it was rough on you. In Denise's defense, she didn't believe that's what you were doing. She still had to verify for the case."

Lucy huffed. "I get it, but we're still probably not going to be BFFs anytime soon."

Garcia grimaced as she continued. "I don't really blame you for that. I mean…this was still happening, whether or not you caught him at it, my father was still…this. I would have gone through this eventually."

"Your innocence would have probably been presumed if it hadn't been for us dating."

"Okay, well, I'm not going to be mad at you for that."

"And I'm not going to apologize for having excellent taste," she rolled her eyes at him. "But I do need to make something clear: I trust you. Even when I wasn't sure, it was because my head and my heart were telling me two different things."

She let the doubt she felt show in her gaze as she looked up at him.

"Truly, Lucy. I admit that at the very least, I didn't understand that the power you have over me, I also have over you. I knew that you…wanted me," Lucy's face flamed at that. "But I didn't see until yesterday just how much you care about me. You care as much as I do for you, don't you?" Garcia tipped her chin up gently to look into her face, and she nodded silently.

"It never occurred to me, to any of us, that you would think something happened to me when they showed up yesterday morning. I'm so sorry for that. If that had happened in reverse…" he shook his head and closed his eyes at the thought.

"Don't forget, okay?"

"I won't," he vowed as he leaned his forehead against hers. She relaxed against him again before sighing.

"We probably should get up. I don't want to."

"What do you want to do?"

"I want you to distract me."

"Mmm. That I can do," he said as he lifted her hair to one side to kiss down her neck. She gasped.

"I meant innocent distraction," she scolded him halfheartedly, knowing that the way she was arching back into him contradicted her words.

"This is innocent. My hands are at your waist," he smiled against her jaw.

"It's your other parts I'm concerned with at the moment." He giggled—actually giggled—at that, like a little boy, and Lucy pulled back to look up at him in amusement.

"Oh my gosh, I meant your mouth, are you twelve? Why are you so giddy?" She couldn't help but grin at his lit up face.

He leaned in to kiss her cheek. "I'm happy. You make me happy."

She twisted around to kiss him and he bent down to meet her, sweet and soft.

"I will behave," he threaded his fingers through her hands. "But for future reference, the walls are thick, the door locks, and even when it isn't locked, Iris is religious about knocking. She lives in mortal terror of seeing me naked."

Lucy laughed loud at that. "Yes, that would be scarring at her age. I remember how mortified I was at Dad walking around in his tighty-whiteys." She said it without thought, and as soon as her mind processed the words, her stomach dropped.

"Hey," Garcia whispered as he dropped her hands and moved his to hold her. She turned to press her face against his chest and breathed through her nose, trying to catch one of the blurry memories running through her mind of the man she had thought was her father, the one she had loved, who had made her hot chocolate when she was sad and was the best listener in the world, the one she'd been missing for half her life now.

"Sorry, that came out of nowhere."

"Don't apologize, love. I'm right here. You can talk about it, or not talk about it, whatever you need."

She snuggled closer into his chest. "You're like the perfect size for this, by the way," Lucy said, buying time. He simply kissed her head in reply and ran his hand through her hair.

"It's just…I wonder if he knew. My dad—not my father, the one who raised me. He had to know, right? And if he did…I wonder if he looked at me the same…"

"Lucy, you believed he loved you before you found out, right?"

"Yes. I never doubted it. He was wonderful. He died when I was only eighteen, but growing up, he was always there for me. I never questioned that he was my real father. I would have worried that Mom wasn't my mother before him."

"Then don't doubt that now. Children always know these things."

Lucy peered up at him in question. He sighed. "My mother…she lost her first husband and child before she met my father. She loved me, I know, but there was always a sadness about her. I wanted to be enough to make up for my brother's loss, but I know now that no child could ever take the place of another. She tried to hide the emptiness, the sorrow, how much she missed him from me, but I knew."

She leaned up to kiss the underside of his jaw. "I'm sorry," she whispered, not knowing what else to say.

Just then, a door closed down the hall. Iris was up.

Garcia let her pull back but stopped her from getting up. "Are you okay now?"

"I feel better than I did. I don't think it's something I'm going to just get over."

"No, of course not."

"But this helped. You…you help." She leaned in to kiss him as a knock sounded at the door. Lucy hopped up from the bed.

"Dad? Is it safe to come in? You're not having sex are you? I know Lucy's in there."

Lucy covered her mouth to hold in shocked laughter as Garcia turned deep red and buried his face in his hand.

"Oh my—NO! We're not…just come in!"

Iris came in with her hand over her eyes.

"Good morning, Iris," Lucy managed to choke out, as she moved toward the door before turning to Garcia, who was still covering his own face. "I'm just going to…yep…" and darted down the hall to the guest room before burying her face in a pillow to release her laughter.

Twenty minutes later, hair straightened, makeup on, and dressed in jeans and a tank for a lazy day, Lucy headed down the stairs tentatively, listening for sounds of awkward conversation, ready to run back to her room at a moment's notice. Nothing. She headed to the kitchen.

"Do you want a pop-tart, Lucy?" Iris waved her over to the table where she had a pop-tart already toasted and waiting on a plate for Lucy. She smiled at Iris as she made her way over to sit with her. Garcia was at the kitchen counter, back to the room, watching the coffee pot like it was a bomb about to go off. Lucy looked from one Flynn to the other. Iris seemed perfectly normal as she finished her pop-tart and put her plate in the sink, but Garcia hadn't moved an inch.

Once Iris had finished, she took off for the den to watch TV. Lucy slowly approached him, trying to get to the coffee. He still hadn't budged. She finally pushed him on the shoulder and he swayed. "Did she break you?"

At that, he slumped dramatically until he was bent almost in half and he buried his face in Lucy's shoulder. "Well, that was unexpected. I'm sorry about that."

"It's okay," she said before bursting into giggles. Garcia pulled back to look at her in exasperation.

"I'm glad someone is getting some amusement out of it. I just had to give the Talk: Round Two, so you'll forgive me if I don't join in just yet."

"What did you tell her?"

"I don't have to give YOU the Talk, too, do I? I need to recover first."

"I see your sarcasm is still intact, you'll be fine. I meant, what did you tell her about us?"

He sighed and ran a hand through his already messy hair. He turned to lean back against the counter.

"I didn't give her any specifics of our…status. I didn't want to tell her no, we aren't, because I don't want to feel like I have to turn around and inform her once we do."

She nodded slowly, absorbing.

"I gave her a spiel instead about how adults in relationships need privacy and boundaries. That you and I will be spending time together, alone, and that what goes on is between the two of us. And at some point, that will probably include sex, but that because I respect you and our relationship, it wouldn't be something I would discuss with her."

"Wow. You're really great at this dad thing. You came up with that on the fly?"

Garcia flushed, either at her praise or the topic, she wasn't sure which. "It's what I genuinely believe, so I told her the truth."

Lucy moved in front of him as she grabbed a mug, poured herself some coffee and added sugar and cream. "Well, you did well. I probably should have warned you, too."

"Warned me?"

"She was asking questions yesterday. Not about that, but I think she was inching toward it."

He looked fearful as he asked "Like what?" and she couldn't help but laugh a little at him again.

"Our age difference, why we were upset, if we had kissed…"

"Our age difference? It's not THAT much, is it?"

"We were watching White Christmas and she wanted to make sure you weren't Bing Crosby to my Rosemary Clooney. And no, I'm 35, but if Iris wants to think I look a lot younger, I'm not going to argue."

"35. She's right, you don't look 35, although with all you've accomplished, I knew you had to be at least 30. 35 doesn't sound as creepy."

"You're not creepy, don't say that." Lucy frowned up at him. He kissed her nose and smiled down at her.

"What did you say about the others?"

"I told her we had a disagreement that we couldn't resolve because you got called in to work. And I…well, I did tell her we had kissed, but I didn't go into any detail. I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?"

"I didn't know if that was okay."

"Lucy, I can barely keep my hands off you, it's amazing she hasn't already SEEN me kiss you. That was fine. Plus, she ordered me to kiss and make up with you last night. She's determined to keep you."

"I doubt she ordered you—"

"She literally said 'kiss and make up with Lucy, we need her', and then shooed me from her room. Not that I wasn't going to do it anyway. Face it, we both adore you."

Garcia leaned down to kiss her and she kissed him back fiercely, setting her coffee down to grab his shirt and tug his face closer. He finally pulled back to smile against her mouth as he ran a hand down her bare arm, giving her goosebumps.

"I adore the two of you, too, you know," she swayed a little at the force of that truth.

He grinned at her sweetly. "I'm starting to get that feeling. Okay, go eat your breakfast. Now that I can breathe again, I'm hungry." He pulled down a bowl and poured his cereal as Lucy grabbed her coffee and sat down at the table.

* * *

It was such a relief to have the air cleared between the two of them that Garcia had almost forgotten about the case. The three of them relaxed for a few hours, enjoying the sunny day as Iris jumped on the trampoline, just spending time together. As he'd been gone the day before, he had to grocery shop, so they all went. While they were checking out, he got a call from Karl.

Making sure Iris was out of earshot as they loaded the car, he leaned over to whisper to Lucy.

"We've got enough to make the arrests. I'm going to take the two of you home and then head in."

Lucy's eyes were afraid as she looked back at him. "You'll be fine, the officers are going to stay put until we've got them all in custody. Unless you'd rather come to DHS again?"

She shuddered and shook her head.

Iris was nonchalant as she bid him goodbye, content to not have to be carted off to a waiting room again. She barely batted an eye as he kissed Lucy goodbye.

Lucy smoothed her hands over his tie and his lips twitched as he watched her curb the impulse to pull him in with it. He couldn't tease her, though, not while she was looking at him with concern and worrying her bottom lip.

"Be careful," she whispered, and he pulled her into a hug.

"I promise," he whispered back into her ear.

Hours later, Garcia sat in the conference room fervently wishing for a water pitcher to throw. These people were sunk, they knew it, had the evidence to prove it, but they were still refusing to talk. Well, unfortunately they weren't refusing to TALK, but to say anything of any importance.

He had questioned Jessica Logan for about an hour before giving up. It was clear that she knew more than she was letting on—she wasn't as accomplished a liar as she thought she was. But it was also plain to see that she was scared. He had tried to reassure her that her daughter would be safe as she was being watched by the nanny, would spend the night with Wyatt, and the house was also covered by a pair of police officers. That had been a miscalculation. As soon as he had said it, her eyes had shuttered and she refused to speak another word. Finally, Garcia had left, deciding that she would be more likely to talk after the others were out of the way.

Garcia had since been alternating listening to the interrogations of Cahill and Neville. Cahill was full of self-importance and swagger, but he was still very controlled in what he said. He obviously didn't think they had anything on him and Denise was trying to get more information without revealing all that they had. The guy was sleazy, clearly had a higher opinion of his charm than he should, and even seemed to believe that he would be able to pay off or threaten any and all of them to get his way. How Lucy came from this guy he would never understand.

The three years of separation had dulled his memory of what a monumental asshole Neville was. They had butted heads constantly, but Neville was the same with his own superiors, so they took whatever he said with a grain of salt. Garcia had still been able to do his job well and eventually move up through the ranks. Logan had impressed him with his interrogation, striking the right balance between polite disinterest whenever Neville would bluster his threats, and confidence when he made an open accusation toward Neville. He hadn't been able to get much out of him, though, and Garcia hadn't expected him to. Neville wouldn't talk until he was convinced he was done and ready to deal. Logan had finally decided to let him sweat, and he had joined Garcia in the conference room as Denise continued to work on Cahill.

"Should I watch the playback of Jessica's interrogation? Maybe see if I can catch something?"

Garcia grimaced. "Are you sure you want to do that? She really didn't say much, just kept insisting that she was simply an executive assistant for a charity. It was obvious that she was lying."

He looked at the agent, who had dark circles under his eyes and looked a bit shaky. "Do you need something to eat, Logan?"

"Nah, I'm okay." He flopped down in a chair across the table and Garcia decided he didn't know the other man well enough to push.

"I don't think we'll get anything out of her until we wrap up the other two at least. I made the mistake of telling her that your daughter is safe and she clammed up. She does seem to be afraid. Are you sure the nanny is okay?"

"Yeah, no thanks to her," he rubbed a hand down his face. "I insisted that we hire somebody I could trust. Lauren's husband is Delta Force and I double-checked her background and security clearance, plus your guys looked into her again this morning. She's clean." He sighed. "As for her being scared, she ought to be. Honestly, I wish I could care. She brought Kate into this, our little girl. Jessica can go to hell."

Garcia didn't know what to say to that but was relieved that Logan had been so thorough in finding someone to care for his child. He was going to need the help. He also knew that however angry he was now, it was going to hurt like hell to send the mother of his child to prison. It wasn't something any of them could look on without pain.

Finally, Denise came in, rubbing her eyes tiredly, nursing a cup of coffee. "Oh, that man," she groaned as she sunk into the chair next to him.

"Need me to take a run at him?"

"No!" The other two responded in unison.

"What, he knows about me and Lucy, yes?" She nodded. "So, maybe seeing me will put him off his game, even if I can't question him."

Denise turned to him. "How much of that interview did you see?"

He shrugged. "I gave up on Jessica Logan after an hour and then switched back and forth between the two of you."

"You missed him talking about Lucy, then, didn't you?"

Garcia stilled and looked back at her expectantly. "What did he say?"

"He went on and on about his brilliant daughter, her accomplishments, what a shame it would be for these 'false accusations' to besmirch her reputation."

He couldn't help but growl at that, and she pointed to his face.

"That, right there, is why you aren't going anywhere near him."

"If only he knew how much she hates that he's her real father." A spark appeared in Denise's eye at that, and he regretted speaking. "No, no, she is not going anywhere near him. I won't ask her to do that," he pointed his finger at her, deadly serious.

"Maybe that should be her choice, Garcia. And you wouldn't have to ask her."

He scoffed at that. "She's not going to say yes to you. You aren't her favorite person right now."

"Fair enough, but the problem is that these two are going to use each other as scapegoats to cast doubt on their own guilt. If Jessica Logan isn't going to talk, then we want something to tip one of them into a confession."

"Not that. I'm not asking her. This is hard enough for her. I couldn't stop yesterday from happening, but I am not putting her in the middle of it when she doesn't have to be."

"Wyatt?" Denise asked, and Garcia fully expected him to immediately refuse. When he didn't, Garcia looked up at him in amazement.

"You can't seriously be considering this."

Logan looked back at him sheepishly and shrugged. "I think it should be up to Lucy. She'll want to help. And if it means an end to it…I think it would be better for her in the long run. But I won't ask her, not today anyway, if you think it's such a bad idea."

Garcia frowned at him but gave a terse nod.

"Have we had any luck with nailing down other associates?"

"Karl said the records show they hire local criminal elements when they're in other countries, and you already know they use local gangs here. I do think they have to have more dedicated manpower here, though, but no luck so far."

The three sat there for a few more minutes, trying to decide what to do. Denise broke the silence.

"We have our techs still looking for other members, and I don't think we're getting anywhere with interrogation today. Cahill has lawyered up and the other two will follow. I say we throw them in holding and let them think on it overnight, realize their options are limited. Maybe they'll be more forthcoming in the morning. If they aren't, we'll go ahead and file the charges and take our best shot."

The two men nodded in resignation. Garcia got his things together and said goodbye to the other two. If they weren't going to get anywhere, he was going home to Lucy and Iris. He watched Logan take off for the parking lot at a trot, hoping he'd be okay. It was a lot for anyone to take. At least he wasn't going home to an empty house.

Since Neville and Cahill had been taken in, they had decided to pull the detail off Lucy. Wyatt's daughter still had one because they weren't sure if the higher ups would cause problems trying to silence her mother. Technically, Lucy could go home now, but the thought filled Garcia with dread. Aside from not wanting her to ever leave anyway, that is. He couldn't help but feel like something was wrong.

Once he got inside and saw Iris and Lucy sitting at the table eating a late dinner of Chinese takeout, he relaxed.

"Hey! Iris couldn't remember what you like, so do you want sweet and sour pork or kung pao chicken?"

He went to the table and kissed Iris on the head before giving Lucy a quick kiss hello. She looked up at him and he could read the question in her eyes. "Later," he mouthed before heading to the kitchen to grab a glass of water to go with his kung pao chicken.

"Iris was telling me that you're still making her go to school this week?"

"It's not school. It's STEM camp."

"At my school. Right after school ended."

"Seriously? The first week of summer?"

He held up his hands. "That's when the camp is, I didn't make the calendar."

Iris sniffed. "At least Sophia and Madeline are going to be there. But please don't sign me up next year."

"Hmm," Lucy had a pensive look. "I wonder if my department should do a history camp for kids. Maybe stay in covered wagons like pioneers…"

Garcia swallowed a bite and took in Iris's unimpressed look. "See," he pointed at her with a chopstick. "It could be worse," he laughed.

"Hey!"

He shook his head at her in disbelief. "You seriously think kids are going to want to go stay in some field in the middle of nowhere with the coyotes, no running water, and no electricity while wearing bonnets and petticoats and whatnot? Make fires without matches, cook over a fire, and the like? Do YOU even want to do that?"

"I think it sounds fun…okay, maybe it could use some tweaking. But I still like the idea."

Iris still looked skeptical, and Garcia didn't blame her. Maybe he could talk her down from it. Get her to pitch a watered-down version.

"I'm not looking forward to the school and seeing my teachers part of it, but some of it might be cool. Madeline said that some people who work for Connor Mason are supposed to come tomorrow to talk to us and do an experiment."

"Really?" He turned to Lucy. "Do you think?"

"I'll text them and ask."

A minute later, she held up her phone. "Ha, yeah, it's Jiya and Rufus. They're friends of mine, you'll get to meet them tomorrow morning. Rufus is fun and funny, and Jiya's cool. You'll have fun with them."

That did the trick. Iris was excited and started asking questions about Lucy's friends. Garcia nudged Lucy's foot with his in thanks and she smiled at him.

After they had cleaned up dinner and Iris had run off to take a shower, he met Lucy at the couch to talk.

"Your father, Jake Neville, and Jessica Logan are all in custody. Speaking of her, you might want to call Wyatt—he's acting tough, but he's clearly struggling and you're the only friend he has who knows what's going on."

She sighed, eyes full of compassion for her friend, and nodded.

"None of them are talking, so we're letting them sweat overnight, and we'll press charges tomorrow either way—we have enough evidence without confessions, but they might get off a little lighter if they talk. Your police detail is being lifted."

She looked back at him warily. "Okay. That all sounds like good news, except for the not talking part, but you don't look at all relieved."

"I'm not," he licked his lips as he thought. "Something feels off. Cahill and Neville were both too comfortable today, too self-assured. Like they know something we don't. It makes me uneasy." He frowned at her. "Technically, you can go home. But I don't feel like you should. Wyatt is telling Baumgardner to stay with Amy, so you could ask her to go home and you wouldn't be alone, but I still don't like it."

Lucy looked back at him with an unreadable expression. "What is it, Lucy?"

She blushed and looked away. "I just…don't want to stay with you only because of a safety concern."

"'Only'? Lucy, your safety-" He cut off when a small finger was placed over his mouth.

"If you want me to stay, ask me to stay." The uncertainty in her face tore at him and he grabbed her hand.

"I want you to stay." Garcia bit his lip hard to avoid saying words like 'forever' and 'always', which badly wanted to tumble from his mouth and make sure she was never unsure of him again.

"Lucy, please. I don't ever want you to leave," he asked—begged, really, not much better than the other words he had wanted—and he was nervous that he'd come on too strong until Lucy turned the hand she was holding and kissed his palm.

"Are you trying to get me into your bed?" Her words combined with the flirty half-smile she was giving him made his heart pick up speed.

"Yes, honestly, I am. But if you would rather stay in the guest room or stay with me like we did last night…I would still be more than happy with that."

Lucy lowered her lashes at that before pulling him in by the tie and giving him a slow, sensuous kiss.

"I will stay here tonight, and I will take the other under advisement."

He tried to grab her waist to kiss her again, but she managed to evade him somehow, and she grinned back at him. "I'm going to go check in with Wyatt." He watched her walk away up the stairs.

Garcia puttered around downstairs, double- and triple-checking that the alarm system was set and active. His stomach churned as he mentally ran through the facts of the case, trying to figure out what kind of traps might have been set by the two men in custody. With all the evil they'd already been part of, he wasn't sure that there was any line they wouldn't cross, and that made it hard to nail down what tactic they might use.

After he'd checked the backyard floodlights for the fourth time, he sighed and made himself go upstairs. Worrying wasn't productive, and he refused to waste more of his home time on it. He found his daughter brushing her teeth in the bathroom and followed her to her bedroom.

"Lucy already said goodnight, she said she had to make some phone calls. I like it when she's here."

"Me too," he replied sincerely, but with a twinge of fear that she was going to rehash their conversation from this morning. He drew a breath of relief when she simply told him goodnight.

"Goodnight, sweetheart. I love you."

"Love you too, Dad," she replied sleepily as he kissed her cheek. Garcia cut off her lamp and stared at her for a moment in the dark, marveling at how grown up she had become.

As he passed Lucy's room, he hesitated, wanting to knock, to make sure he would see her again tonight. But he heard her voice and didn't want to interrupt her conversation. He decided to go ahead and take his shower and if she wasn't in his room afterward, he'd go find her.

After his quick shower, he came back into his room, pajama pants on, towel drying his hair. He was about to grab a t-shirt when he heard a knock.

"Come in," he called softly. Lucy opened the door and he felt the towel slip out of his grasp as he took in the sight of her in his t-shirt. And, presumably, nothing else. He swallowed hard, hoping that meant what he thought it did. She pushed the door closed and locked it, making her intentions perfectly clear, and he suddenly found himself sitting on the bed as his legs gave out.

"Iris is asleep, I checked," she said and he nodded dumbly and bit his lip.

Staring at her intensely, his eyes roamed down to her bare legs and his hands itched to touch her. He let his eyes travel back to hers and his pulse skyrocketed at the sparkle in them. Her golden-brown eyes were dark like banked coals, and they grew hotter as she moved to stand in front of him. He hooked his fingers in the hem of her (his) shirt and pulled her to him slowly. His other hand he traced up the back of her thigh, closing his eyes at the feel of her smooth skin as he heard her breath catch. She dragged her fingers through his hair before leaning down to kiss him deeply, but briefly, teasing him.

"I think I want my shirt back," he growled roughly as he pulled her closer with the hand still hooked in it.

"Hmm…" she hummed as she climbed up on his lap and wrapped her legs around his waist. He tried not to groan as she pressed up against him and ran her hands up his arms and down his back. The sparks leapt into flame as he ran his lips against her collarbone and his hands shook as they slid along her legs. Lucy tugged his hair gently and he tipped his head back as he knew she wanted him to. "Maybe you should come and get it."

He looked into her eyes, wordlessly asking the question. Her eyes burned back into his as she nodded and then she leaned in to give him a searing kiss. His hands went to her hair, and her hands wandered, fanning the flames into a blaze. And so he did.

* * *

Garcia lay in the dim light of early morning, a smile on his face, happier than any man who'd spent most of the night awake had any right to be. But waking Lucy at midnight had been more than worth it, her waking him sometime around three even more so, and his only regret was that it was nearly 6:45, when they'd have to get up and get ready for the day. To spend the day apart.

How was he supposed to let her go? It had been painful before, but now he wasn't even sure how he would function in his own body, walking around in the world while Lucy was somewhere else in her own body walking elsewhere in the world instead of next to him. Garcia would never say that to her, because it would sound like he thought he owned her now, which wasn't at all what he meant. More like she owned him. He let his eyes trace her in the dark, her pale face easy to see in the half-dark. Beautiful.

He shut the alarm off as soon as it chirped, hoping to wake Lucy gently, but she groaned as his movement dislodged her from his shoulder. She mumbled something, and the only word he could make out was "early", as she burrowed her face into his chest. He laughed silently through his nose, but she still squinted up at him.

"Are you always this much of a morning person? You were like this yesterday too."

Pressing a kiss to her furrowed brow, he shook his head. "Not at all. It's just you being here. Watching you sleep." He paused. "That sounded creepy, didn't it? I didn't mean it that way."

"I know you watch me, but it's never been creepy. It doesn't make me feel watched. Makes me feel seen."

Garcia's heart swelled at that and he bit back a confession, focusing instead on kissing her temple and playing with the fingers of the hand she had lain on his chest. He hadn't been able to stop himself from saying it last night, but he thought he'd at least been able to keep it in Croatian. Hopefully she was sufficiently distracted not to Google translate what he'd gasped out.

"I guess I have to get up," she groaned.

"You don't have to on my account, but your work would probably miss you. And I have to go, too."

"Yeah," she said without enthusiasm before taking a deep breath and hauling herself out of the bed.

He stared after her shamelessly and she turned around to give him a look. "You'd better stop looking at me like that or we'll both be late."

Smirking at her, he simply covered his eyes with his hand until he heard the bathroom door shut. He grinned all the way through getting dressed, waking a grumbling Iris up, and brewing the coffee. Until his phone rang just as Iris made her way into the kitchen and Lucy followed, her damp hair curling slightly.

"You have to go." He nodded, looking at her before glancing to Iris. It was urgent, so he couldn't delay, but she didn't need to be on campus until 8:30. His eyes flicked to Lucy. He waited until Iris had taken her pop-tart to the table and he gently grabbed Lucy's elbow.

"Is there anyway you could take Iris to camp today?" Her eyes brightened and he wondered at that.

"Sure! I mean, is that okay, with the school, will they let me? I can introduce her to Rufus and Jiya and see her school and everything."

"I'll call ahead and let them know. And I'll add you to the paperwork when I get a chance." Her cheeks went red and she looked down, but he caught the grin that split her face.

"What is it?" He slid a hand around her cheek and she shrugged as she looked up at him.

"Just…it's…trust, isn't it?" Garcia pulled her against him.

"Yes. I trust you, love." He kissed her head and swiped his thumb across her cheek. "I have to go now." His own disappointment was mirrored in Lucy's eyes. Without being able to say all that was in his heart, he leaned in and kissed her, without heat, but soft, like a promise.

"Be safe," she said simply and squeezed his arm. He went to kiss Iris goodbye and left.

* * *

Garcia looked at Denise and she nodded at him. He drew a fortifying breath before walking into the interrogation room. He waited for Denise to sit then pulled his own chair out and took his time sitting down and getting situated. It wouldn't throw off this suspect, but he still had to make it clear that he was in charge.

"Alright, Cahill, you wanted me here." He held out his hands as if to say 'get on with it'.

"Children are wonderful, aren't they?" The man grinned back at him, practically oozing with sleaze, and Garcia didn't even try to find anything of Lucy in him. He already knew she wasn't there.

Denise and Garcia simply stared back at him. Cahill smiled wider.

"I love children. My children especially. Ethan, you know, he is sixteen and the attitude is hard to get past sometimes, but he loves soccer and girls and he's going to go to Princeton in a couple of years. And Lucy, well, I'm very proud of how brilliant and beautiful my daughter has turned out. How accomplished she is. Clearly, you agree with me, Director Flynn."

Garcia was thankful that he'd worked long and hard to develop his ability not to show his thoughts on his face. He was having to bring every bit of that knowledge to bear.

"From what I hear, her mother's the one who should be proud," Denise leaned forward. "Any accomplishments on her part haven't had anything to do with you."

"That's true," he smiled. "Carol was a stubborn woman. Proud. Wanted to do things her own way, said her own family name and money was more than sufficient. And it has served Lucy well. I imagine that when you discovered our connection that was an unpleasant surprise."

Garcia simply quirked an eyebrow at him. The man wanted to monologue, and it was better to let him do so. More likely that he'd get to the point, at least, than if they interrupted. And more likely that he'd reveal too much.

"In fact, I imagine you might have even thought it was a plot, that Lucy was working with me and we would maybe use information of your whereabouts to know when we could move shipments, when and where you might be looking, that sort of thing."

Garcia flicked his eyes to Denise, knowing that was as close as the man had come to admitting his wrongdoing.

"You'd be wrong, if you did think that. Lucy and I have never met. We've never even spoken. It wasn't by my choice. I mean, we did hire Agent Logan's wife, so I would understand how you could see that. But, really, romantic relationships are so messy, so unpredictable. Not reliable all as a source of information."

Cahill paused as if to gather himself, and Garcia knew that he was about to say whatever he'd been building toward.

"What's really predictable? Schedules. Times. Start of the day, end of the day. Rides to and from, who drives who where and when, that sort of thing."

The man sounded crazy, and yet, an icy sliver of fear cut through Garcia's chest as he got an inkling that he refused to let form.

"And who most needs a schedule, a routine? Who would be most noticeable if their schedule changed?

Both Garcia and Denise were glaring at the man who smiled, almost apologetically, when he answered his own question.

"Children."

* * *

Lucy wasn't surprised Iris hated this teacher. They had been heading toward the cafeteria to sign Iris in and where Rufus and Jiya had said they'd meet up, when Iris's science teacher had approached and demanded they come with her. She complained the whole way to her office about the inconvenience and danger of unverified parties dropping off the children, and how a phone call "couldn't be confirmed", whatever that meant. Apparently, Lucy was going to have to sign some sort of blood oath or give a urine sample or something before she could drop Iris off, which made no sense. If she was dangerous, they should let Iris in to get her away from Lucy faster, it seemed. But Iris had rolled her eyes and shrugged as if this kind of thing was normal, so Lucy had followed even though she was getting more and more annoyed by the second.

She waved Lucy through an unmarked door into a room that might have been some kind of break room or lounge, and she surveyed it in confusion.

"Hey, wait, this isn't the way to your office," she heard Iris protest and she whipped around to see a pistol. It was pointed at Iris's head. She held her hands up instinctively even as terror threatened to paralyze her.

"Leave Iris alone, you can do whatever you want with me."

The teacher looked back and her and smirked evilly in a way that made Lucy's stomach roll with revulsion. "Oh, no, thank you, Lucy. I'm not leaving either of you alone. Not when I've got two princesses for the price of one."

* * *

Author's Note: I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.


	13. Of Flashbacks, Fights and Foes

_Disclaimer: I do not own Timeless._

* * *

The Earth tipped on its axis as the ground fell out from beneath Garcia's feet. It was a point of pride for him that he never froze in fear, not for a second, not in battle, not on missions, not in any urgent situation. So it was perhaps fortunate that this was the first time he'd been stuck in a solid block of icy fear. It gave Wyatt and Denise the chance to grab and wrestle him from the room, because the next instant, the ice melted and the rage blinded him as it burned up and out of him. All he could think was of Cahill's thin, smug neck and how easy and quick it would snap in his hands. It took Karl joining in the pile to get him out and into the observation room, where they dropped him in the far corner and Stiv blocked the door. He was about to charge the door when Denise's words finally broke through the roaring in his ears.

"Iris, Garcia, Iris needs you to focus."

The fight went out of him and he breathed for a moment before grabbing his phone and calling Lucy. Denise was making her own call across the room.

The call clicked over to voicemail and he cursed before hitting call again. Wyatt was staring at the screen, watching Cahill.

"Where's your daughter, Logan?" Karl asked Wyatt as Garcia listened to Lucy's phone ring.

"Kate's here—in the waiting room—with Lauren. I just…something felt wrong."

Voicemail again. Garcia's stomach churned with guilt. He had known it in his gut, and he'd let the detail leave.

"Michelle and the kids are on their way here now. Garcia, where's Iris?"

He raised a shaking hand to swipe across his chin. "Lucy was taking her to STEM camp at her school. I can't reach her."

Garcia closed his eyes in frustration at the look of fear that Wyatt and Denise exchanged before standing up. They moved to block him and he groaned. "I have to go. I have to check, I can't just sit here. That was a clear threat, and I need to go get Iris now."

Logan put his hands up as if to stop him and Garcia gave him a death glare. "Just…let me go talk to Cahill, see if he's bluffing." He jerked for a minute and yanked out his phone. "This thing won't stop…whoa, Rufus has called me six times."

Garcia collapsed into the nearest chair and hid his face.

"What, Garcia, what is it?"

"Rufus and Jiya are the speakers at the camp today. Lucy and Iris were going to meet up with them there…call him back."

Wyatt did as he'd asked immediately. "Rufus, are Lucy and Iris there?...Shit…Rufus, I can't…shit. Okay, go tell whoever's in charge that they're missing and start a search. There's…there's been a threat against them. Part of a case. And ask if anybody else is missing. Call me back as soon as you know."

The call was merely confirmation of what Garcia already knew in his heart. Denise put her hand on his shoulder and he knew she could feel him shaking.

"Wyatt, why don't you go inform Mr. Cahill that his own daughter is missing along with Iris? We need a name."

The fear was crushing his chest. Iris. Lucy. He couldn't do this again. He couldn't lose another person he loved. The woman he loved. His little girl. His child. His _child._

Cahill paled as he heard the news and it might have felt like karmic justice if Garcia himself didn't need Lucy to be okay more than her sperm donor asshat of a father did.

"But no, she wouldn't…not my daughter." He stared off for a minute before sighing. "Yes, she would. It's Emma, the reason we gave her the job is because she's ruthless. And Neville wouldn't hesitate to use this to take over. Emma Whitmore."

Garcia groaned. Of course. Both he and Iris had had such negative visceral reactions to her and he had chalked it up to her just being a bitter woman who didn't want to teach. No wonder Iris said she hated her—she did. She would have to in order to target a child. His child.

"That's her science teacher," he told Denise. He pulled his gun from his holster and checked to make sure it had a full clip before heading toward the door.

"Garcia, wait—"

"Dammit, Denise, I'm going now! I have to see if we can find anything. You can call me and Karl on the road with any information."

"I'm coming with you," Logan joined them in the hallway. At Garcia's look, he checked his own gun and gave him an equally stubborn glare in return. "Kate's here, she's safe. Director Christopher needs to stay until her family gets here. You need backup to save your daughter. And it's Lucy, Flynn. I'm coming."

Garcia huffed but allowed Wyatt to follow as he jogged toward the exit. It wasn't lost on him that it might help to have another agent there who had a personal stake in saving Lucy.

"I'm sending officers and the FBI agents will meet you there, too. I'll call you with anything. And Logan's driving, Garcia."

Growling at that, he hurled his keys at Logan like a grenade just before pushing through the door. The next thing he knew, he was sitting in the passenger seat of his own car, tortured by the inaction.

"We'll find them, Flynn. Lucy's smart, resourceful, she'll think of something. They'll be okay."

Garcia wanted so badly for that to be true.

"They just…the two of them are my world. I can't lose my whole…" His throat stuck, and Logan nodded, ending the conversation.

He couldn't lose his whole world, and he felt it already slipping through his fingers. Not again. Not again. Not again was all he could think, remembering standing at the foot of two graves, one of them heartbreakingly small…but that wasn't right…. Iris and he had stood at Lorena's grave, not…and suddenly he was watching a vision play out, but it felt like a memory.

 _Lying in bed, Lorena's feet moved against his legs as he woke. He recognized their bedroom in the Baltimore house as Lorena crawled out of bed and he reached for her with a grunt that was a question. "I think I heard Iris coughing. I'm going to check on her." With a nod, he laid his head back down and drifted for a moment until he was jerked back by a sound that was out of place. Silencer shots._

 _His body was in motion before his mind could process. It couldn't be, not here. But his body knew to move forward, and suddenly he was faced with a gun, and his arms were throwing the attacker. Blood. There was blood, and there was Lorena, too still, and…the next attacker hit and he wrestled the gun away, shooting, shooting, working his way down the hall. Iris. She couldn't be…but those were her eyes, frozen in shock. Eyes just like his, only they were staring lifeless at his from her precious, precious, unmoving face._

 _He roared in pain and kicked out at the next attacker as it hit him. They were gone, gone forever, and all thoughts fled as his training and muscle memory took over. He took the gun from the second attacker and killed the third, but there were two—no four—five—more, and his traitorous feet turned and fled the house, ignoring the sting of the cut glass under them and running out and into the night with only his stolen gun. Running as far and as fast as he could away from the lives-his own included-that were no more._

Garcia came back to himself like pulling out of a daydream, only to go from one horrible nightmare to another. Before Wyatt had even put the car in park, Garcia had jumped out and taken off for the school, only to be met by the principal and Rufus and Jiya, who shook her head in apology. The only thing that kept him from lashing out at them was the panic he reflected back at him from Jiya's eyes.

* * *

Lucy's mind raced as she tried to figure out what to do. She had to get them both out of here, and barring that, get Iris out. Ms. Whitmore had forced them into her car at gunpoint and zip tied their hands and blindfolded them. She had wanted to scream for help—remembering the sacred "never go to the second location" rule—but how could she do that while a gun was pointed at Iris? They hadn't driven for even five minutes, and Lucy clung to that as hope that it would make them easier to find.

It was a run-down motel, dark paneling on the walls, smelled of dust and mildew. The teacher had thrown them down to sit on one of the beds before removing their blindfolds. She had no idea where this place was—judging by the room they were in, it was the definition of nondescript, the kind of place she could have driven past every day without noticing. Lucy closed her eyes, trying to remember everything Amy had ever taught her about self-defense. Unfortunately, she knew the gun this woman appeared all too comfortable with was going to win in any equation she could think of. She needed to get Iris out of here now. Eventually Ms. Whitmore would have to leave the room, and Lucy would do whatever she could to get Iris out. That was the most important thing.

Lucy moved to her side so that she could see Iris. Her eyes were red like she'd been holding back tears, and there was fear in them. But, Lucy noted with pride, there was anger as well. She wasn't shaking and Lucy could see her determination. Just looking at her, Lucy knew she was trying to think of ways to get out. The next moment, however, Iris started crying and said "Lucy…" in such a broken voice that Lucy scooted over as close as she could and let Iris lean on her shoulder to cry.

"Hey, cut it out," Ms. Whitmore fussed at her and Lucy had honestly never wanted to hurt anyone more in her life.

"She's nine years old and you kidnapped her. We have done everything you have said, but she's only human, and you are going to let her shed a few goddamn tears," Lucy snapped.

"Fine," their captor huffed in response, flopping on the other bed, keeping her gun in their sight and her own reach. Revulsion and hatred flooded over Lucy as she took in the other woman. White hot fury churned in her stomach and spilled out until it blinded her.

 _Rufus was dying. Amy was gone, her mother was dead, and now Rufus was being taken from her too, bleeding out on a Chinatown saloon porch, lost in time forever. She saw a pistol lying on the ground nearby and for once, she didn't think, she just felt and acted on the pain and the wrath in her gut. She ran toward the cause, the source, and she was going to end it. End her._

 _She chased Emma down until she caught up with her in an empty building, cornered her, and shot her in the leg. Emma went down and then there was yelling, Lucy's own voice, crying, screwing up her courage, and pulling the trigger. Nothing happened, and then Emma was dragging Lucy down, beating her, screaming at her—words that made no sense, except to tell Lucy that Emma was insanely jealous of her, despite taking everyone from her—and she was going to beat her to death, to choke her life out._

 _But then, Flynn was shouting her name, his voice full of fear, and Emma was taking off. Lucy whirled, grabbing Flynn's gun and shot wildly after her, missing. Wasting the shot. She collapsed. Lucy couldn't get up off the floor, not because of the physical pain that was burning through her face and her side and her throat, but because the weight of the guilt and grief was threatening to grind her down into the dirty floor. Until familiar arms wrapped around her and lifted her, grunting, and she cried as he looked back at her, his own eyes full of pain. It dimly registered that one of his arms was trembling, weak where it was usually strong, and she knew that Emma had wounded him too. Her anger spiked again for a moment before she was overwhelmed with gratitude that Emma had at least failed there. If there existed any grace still in the world, it was that he was still there to hold her, making her pain his own, and if she were to scream into the black void, at least he was there to hear her._

Lucy pulled out of the vision with an effort to find nothing changed. Iris was still leaning on her, crying softly, and Emma was on the other bed, gun in hand while she typed on her phone. The vision was so real, but it couldn't have been, it couldn't…and yet…and yet.

Iris finally quieted, but she continued to shiver. It took some doing, but Lucy got the comforter pulled up and over her after a sound of protest from Emma that Lucy flicked off with a toss of her head. Lucy moved herself to lie down, the adrenaline rush from their abduction long gone, and the little sleep from the night before catching up with her. Had it just been last night, or this morning rather, that Garcia had held her so impossibly close? Oh, if she had known…she would have tugged him into the shower with her. She would have kissed him again, and again, and then again. She would have let the words flow from her heart and out of her mouth instead of hesitating. Lucy fought it, not wanting to be caught unaware in Emma's presence, but sleep eventually pulled her under anyway.

 _This time, Lucy woke in what looked like an upscale hotel room. She was in black satin pajamas that were modern, as opposed to a bustle and corset, but these weren't hers either, and it felt like they were suffocating her more than any corset ever could. She moved to the window only to find that it didn't open, and the frosted glass meant she couldn't even see out. The door wouldn't open, either. Trapped._

 _The TV flared to life. A news broadcast. Lucy's eyes searched wildly and found no one in the room, but it wasn't a relief. Her skin crawled as she felt eyes watching her. The anchor segued to a new story: a bomb had gone off at Mason Industries. Other than Connor Mason, who had been out of the building at the time, it was assumed there were no survivors._

 _Lucy shattered. She ran for the bathroom, losing what little was left in her stomach, then falling onto the cool marble tiles as she sobbed. Wyatt. Rufus. Jiya. Probably Agent Christopher. The whole team. It hurt, oh, it hurt. They were gone, they were all gone forever, and even worse than that—selfish as it might be—she was alone. There would be no rescue and then joyful reunion this time. No one was coming to save her. There was no one left. No one except…_

 _No. He hated her now. Believed she had betrayed him. Oh, she could hear his caustic laughter if he could see her now. But he couldn't, because he was in jail. Because of her, because of her mistake, because of her naïve trust—the same trust that had made her into a captive now. The door opened and Lucy scrambled to her feet. It was a reflex, she knew she wasn't in any shape to fight, even if she had known how. Her muscles still ached from when she had tried to fight the men who had taken her. The men her Rittenhouse mother had ordered to take her._

 _There should have been surprise when she saw Emma, but she must have already hit her capacity for shock. So they not only blew up the lifeboat, but now had the mothership. Well, goodbye life as everyone had known it. Rittenhouse was going to ruin it all._

" _Aw, don't feel so bad, princess. What's a little collateral damage among family?"_

 _Lucy choked back her response, unwilling to let these people see how they had broken her. Emma just continued._

" _You might as well just give in to what Carol wants. There's no one coming for you, not now. They're all gone. Well, except for Flynn, but he's as good as. He'd be dead too, if not for your agent interfering. Oh, well. I was looking forward to that—his whining over his wife and daughter coupled with his pining for you got old fast—but I suppose being thrown in a federal prison is just as bad. And he'd probably rather die at shiv point from one of our people than to help YOU now, even if he knew where you were."_

The phone rang and Lucy was yanked out of the dream, gasping. Emma glared at her as she went to answer it. She argued with the front desk clerk for a few minutes before slamming the receiver down in frustration. "I'm going out. If you don't behave while I'm gone, I'll shoot your little sidekick in the leg," she gestured at Iris. As soon as she was gone, Iris popped up and started undoing her shoelaces.

"Iris, what? What are you doing?"

"Dad made me learn how to get out of these with shoelaces in case I ever got taken," she said while threading the shoelace through the zip tie and tying it to the other shoe, working it back and forth until the zip tie popped off and Lucy stared in amazement. She couldn't help smiling at the girl's ingenuity before growing serious. They had limited time.

"Okay, Iris, you have to go, run as fast as you can and don't stop until you get out of sight of here, okay? You find the first trustworthy looking adult with a phone and you call your dad."

Iris was ignoring Lucy's words, grabbing Lucy's own shoelace and working it through her zip tie. "Iris, you have to go, go now, before she comes back!"

"Lucy, I don't want to leave you. What if she…"

"That's why you have to go now. Go, honey, go get your dad and tell him where I am. He'll come get me and we'll all be safe."

The lie broke through Iris's stubborn refusal, and she gestured to Lucy to work her feet back and forth. She threw her arms around Lucy and hugged her tight.

"Go, honey, go. Be safe."

Iris stopped at the door to look at Lucy, unsure, and Lucy nodded at her in encouragement. She slipped out the door quickly and quietly, and Lucy held her breath for a solid two minutes until she was sure Iris must have gotten safely away. She started working the zip tie again, and it finally popped free. Jumping up, she raced for the bathroom and grabbed the scratchy towels that hung there. She shoved them under the covers, making it look like a sleeping girl as best she could. She had a wild moment of wanting to laugh at the memory of doing the same thing with pillows the one time she'd snuck out of the house as a teenager. There was no way Emma would be fooled for long any more than her mother had been, but maybe it would buy her an extra minute or two. She looked around the room frantically for any possible weapon and she unplugged the broken table lamp beside the bed. Emma had the other lamp turned on and might not notice.

Worried that Emma could come back at any moment, she yanked the covers up over her own lap, linking her hands so that her lack of a zip tie wouldn't be immediately obvious. Just in time, too, as the key turned in the lock just after she had settled.

"Everything okay?" Lucy asked warily, trying to ignore her pounding heart as Emma glared at her. Why would this stranger hate her so much? In this reality or any other?

"Just a little problem with a greedy desk clerk. It's taken care of. It wasn't the cavalry coming to save you, if that's what you were thinking."

Lucy ignored that. She had to distract Emma, to give Iris more time.

"So, why did you do this, Emma? The NSA didn't know about you. You could have taken off with whatever money you've made and hidden anywhere in the world."

Emma rolled her eyes. "This was always the plan if they were taken. Well, until you showed up. See, your daddy and Jake don't always see eye to eye. A plan to kidnap you to force a takeover has been in his back pocket for a while. But since he's out of the way, too, now, I'm going to use the little one as leverage to get their assets unfrozen. Once that happens, you're my leverage to get the money all signed over to me. Then we'll see what happens to you. I'm still deciding."

Lucy choked down bile. Her father had always planned to take Iris. Only she would have been alone if Lucy hadn't been there. As bad a situation as this was, at least that hadn't happened. At least Lucy could give her what little comfort she could in such a terrifying situation. If they had taken her alone, Garcia would have…Iris was out, she had to focus on that. She would try to keep Emma talking.

"You have to know that plan has a few holes. Like the fact that I've never even met Benjamin Cahill, and I'm pretty sure he cares more about his money than he does about me."

"True enough," she snorted. "But this will send the message that his kids are fair game, and he does care about little Ben Junior."

Lucy's eyes widened. She had a brother? She shook her head. That revelation would have to be set aside for now, assuming it was even true. It was unlikely that a woman who did god-knows-what sorts of crimes she had committed along with kidnapping one of her students was a fountain of truth. The inkling of an idea started to form, born from the visions that wouldn't leave her alone. She thought they had given her some small sense of who Emma was, and if they were true, that was terrifying, but it could also be a helpful distraction. It could at least keep her focused on Lucy and not thinking of Iris.

"How exactly did you get to be a teacher and whatever it is you call…this? You don't seem like the teacherly type."

Emma snorted in response. "We're going to do the heart-to-heart thing? Fine. It'll pass the time if nothing else. I like science. I got my MS in engineering from Cal Tech."

Lucy raised her eyebrows in surprise. "And you're teaching fourth graders?"

"Yeah, not my choice, either. I got a scholarship from your daddy dearest's association and I didn't exactly read the fine print. I had to turn down an offer from Mason Industries and get my teaching certificate."

Well, that was interesting. Lucy tried to imagine this woman working alongside Jiya and Rufus. Maybe even being friends with them, all the while being capable of this kind of thing. It was impossible. Emma's voice was full of increasing bitterness.

"I was supposed to get my freedom after this school year, get to move on to my own life. But then your boyfriend had to go and get a clue about our operation, so I got screwed."

"You could have just, you know…not done illegal things. Gone to the police or the NSA or whoever yourself. You could have still worked for Mason Industries, paid off your school loans."

"What do you know about it? Your whole life you've had the way paved before you, like you know what it means to work for anything."

Lucy rolled her eyes in annoyance. She may have had the money for school, true, but her mother's career had meant more work for her, not less. The suspicion of nepotism was likely the reason she had been denied tenure for so long at Stanford. Well, alongside an ample serving of patriarchy.

"Is that why you have such a problem with me?"

Emma sneered. "You were a pampered princess who had your whole life map paved with gold, refusing to even acknowledge your daddy just because his hands were a little dirty. Meanwhile, I had to bow and scrape just to end up being your daddy's lackey, babying a bunch of snot-nosed brats whose parents think they're too good for public school."

"I have two friends, Rufus and Jiya, who work at Mason Industries. Rufus grew up poor in Chicago. Connor Mason took him under his wing, paid for his schooling, everything. I know for a fact that they pay well enough that you could have just denied the scholarship, even after the fact. I guess I get that you might have been afraid to do that, though."

Emma's eyes went hard at that. "I'm not afraid of them. Anything they do to me I would do to them, and they know it."

"Then it sounds like you had more choice in the matter than you're pretending."

The redhead's nostrils flared before she stopped suddenly. "Wait, your friends…they're the ones that were there today?"

Her heart jumped as she realized where Emma's thoughts were going. It hadn't even occurred to Lucy, but if there were a chance that Jiya and Rufus had realized quickly enough…Iris had a better chance than she had thought. Maybe even Lucy did.

"Yes, they were. We were going to meet," Lucy said, regretting the words as soon as they were out and she saw the realization in Emma's eyes. She was out of time.

"Well, then, we're moving. I'm going to the bathroom, and if you aren't here when I get out, I'll kill Iris."

Emma laughed scornfully and moved toward the bathroom. Heart pounding, Lucy waited for the bathroom door to close. She leapt from the bed and grabbed the lamp, willing her arms and legs to stop shaking as she took up her post to the side of the bathroom door. There was just enough time for her to take a deep breath before she heard a cry of outrage echo against the bathroom tiles and the door was flung open. Lucy kicked her leg out as hard as she could, hitting Emma in the knee and causing her to stumble and drop the gun. She kicked the gun and it went flying, somewhere under the bed, she thought, as she lifted the lamp high and brought it down with all her strength on top of Emma's head. Then she ran for all she was worth.

* * *

Garcia's heart sank when he found Lucy's purse and Iris's book bag tossed on the floor of the teacher's break room, the one that had a direct outlet to the parking lot. He'd already known they had to have been moved, but verifying it was another blow.

"Boss, the security cameras gave us the plates for the car she took them in. We've got a BOLO out. And Stiv's doing a check on her financials, to see if she pops up anywhere."

"Also get him to do a check on Lucy's financials. Her cards are here, but she might make her use her numbers. She's probably smart enough to use cash, though," Wyatt added.

"Wait, Jiya," Garcia spoke up, a thought coming to him. "Since you work at Mason Industries, you have government security clearance, right?"

"Yes, level 5," she was looking back at him quizzically. "Rufus and I both do, because of the government contract work we do."

"Wow, that's the same as mine," Wyatt gaped.

"Okay, then," he turned to Karl who was watching him, leery. "Karl, get them on your laptop. Rufus and Jiya can find the car faster than our people. Logan, give them the info."

"On it," Rufus said, and the two of them opened Karl's laptop, and hacked into it before he could even give them the password. Garcia ignored Karl's look of offense. He was going to use any resources at his disposal. Even without the clearance, he would have had them do it, but legal was better.

"Okay, got it. The good news is that she bypassed the freeway exits, so she must be keeping them in this part of town," Rufus turned to Wyatt as Jiya continued typing furiously.

"It makes sense, fewer opportunities to get caught the less they drive," Logan chimed in.

"The bad news is that there's a lot less camera coverage in this part of town," Jiya added, sounding forlorn.

"It's alright, just keep looking," Wyatt said. "Flynn, why don't we head in that direction while they stay here? They can call me with anything, and that way we'll be in the vicinity when they find something."

Garcia nodded, momentarily knocked back by the hope that simple "when" had given him. He shook it off. Focus was essential; he had to stay in the moment and do the next thing. He could crumble later. They ran for the car and he, Karl and Logan took off again, in the direction Jiya and Rufus had given them.

The riding, the searching, was the worst part and the despair he had been given a temporary reprieve from settled back on him like a cloud. Just then, his phone rang with an unknown number. His heart jumped. It could be a ransom call. He pointed at it and Karl nodded.

"Christopher's got them recording any calls to you. You can answer and they'll track it."

"Flynn," his voice cracked as he answered.

"Dad?" Tears sprang to his eyes at Iris's voice. He swallowed against the lump in his throat.

"Iris! Sweetheart, are you okay? Did she hurt you? Is Lucy okay?"

"No, Dad, I'm okay, I got away."

"Oh, thank god. Are you safe? Where are you now?"

"I'm with a police officer I found. But Dad, she still has Lucy, you have to go save her! She's going to be pissed that I'm gone and I'm scared she's going to hurt Lucy." He winced hard at that, torn between the relief of Iris being safe and the fear for Lucy.

"Can you let me talk to the officer? I need some information and then I can go get Lucy."

"Hello, sir. Officer Peters here. Your daughter found me in the Starlight Diner. Smart little girl you've got here, she broke out of a zip tie and came straight to the diner."

Garcia wanted to vomit at the image of Iris with her hands zip tied, but he was beyond thankful that he'd taught her that trick. Now, though, she was getting a chip like he and Denise had. Lucy too, if…if…

"Do you know where she was being held?"

"The Fairside Motel on Oak. Room…"

"Room 209!" he heard Iris chime in.

He repeated the information to Wyatt and Karl, and Wyatt made a swift u-turn as Karl directed him.

"Officer Peters, can you take her straight to DHS Headquarters? Don't let go of her until you can hand her directly to Director Denise Christopher. Can you do that?"

"Yes, sir."

"Can I speak to Iris for a moment?"

"Dad? Is Lucy going to be okay?"

"I'm going to go get her right now. Officer Peters is going to take you to Denise. I'll meet you there as soon as I can."

"With Lucy? I didn't want to leave her there, but she told me I had to, to get to you," she was crying now and Garcia was fighting not to join her.

"You did the right thing, Iris. You did a perfect job, and I'm so proud of you. I'm going there now, and I'll bring Lucy with me to see you. Alright?"

"Okay, Dad. I love you."

"I love you, too, sweetheart. I'll see you soon."

With that, he hung up and prayed like hell that he hadn't just lied to his daughter. He slumped back against the seat and tried not to groan at the GPS estimate of six minutes to their destination.

 _The right side of his chest felt like a red-hot poker had been shoved through it. Shot. Again. There was a pain in his heart that outweighed it as he realized that Rufus was in his death throes. Surprisingly, he hurt for himself, as he considered Rufus a newfound friend despite what the pilot thought of him, but he hurt doubly for Lucy. She had endured so much loss already. This was going to re-break her already fractured heart. It wouldn't crush her, he knew, she was stronger than that, stronger than she knew, but he ached for the grief awaiting her. He turned to look for her, to hold her hand, to do something, anything, to help her through this, but…she wasn't there._

 _Wyatt's panicked, "Lucy!" broke through to him and fear gripped him like a vise. "Can you run with that thing?" Wyatt asked him desperately, and Garcia bit back a moan as he moved to stand and his arm shifted._

" _I can sure as hell try," he said, running through the streets with his gun in his left hand and ignoring the spots in his vision as he struggled to hold onto consciousness. Lucy, untrained in combat or arms, civilian professor, was going after Emma, who had proven a formidable opponent to both Wyatt and himself. That was so stupid, why had they never trained her? Why hadn't he at least thought of it, once he joined the team? He had been so determined to spare her the fight, to fight on her behalf, but he knew better, he knew he couldn't always be there. And now, because of a stupid oversight, he could lose her._

 _He thought he had seen the flash of black stripes enter the rundown theater, and he stumbled through the darkened halls as fast as he could. Finally, he saw the red hair and emerald green of Emma's dress and he panicked as he realized she was choking Lucy's life out. She was barely even struggling anymore._

" _Lucy!" he yelled, hoping to at least distract Emma, and get Lucy to hold on until he could get to her. Emma took off as he bent down to check Lucy. Before he could even touch her, she startled him by grabbing the gun from his hands and emptying his clip shooting at Emma. He could read the disappointment in herself in every line as she slumped, realizing she had missed, and he realized she had truly been aiming to kill Emma, not just chase her away. Not your fault, Lucy, he wanted to tell her. I'll teach you. He watched as all the fight drained out of her._

 _Her beautiful face was already turning purple with bruises and blood was trickling down from her eye and her mouth. But she was alive, somehow, and God forgive him, for a moment all he could feel was relief that he hadn't lost another woman he loved. It was almost a relief to finally allow himself to think the word, though he had known for some time now that it was fact, he hadn't been willing to admit it. It was a damned inconvenient time for it, and he shoved it down as he looked into her eyes and she broke._

 _His own heart broke for her, as she looked at him and sobbed. "I can't, Flynn, I can't—" He lifted her up as best he could, straining his aching arm so that he could hold her and press his face to hers. Anything to let her know that though she was broken, she wasn't alone. Her tears fell down his face and mingled with his own, and he didn't know if he was crying for her pain or the relief of holding her living body in his hands, or both._

Garcia felt the car slow as they passed the Starlight Diner. He gritted his teeth, knowing that it was to avoid tipping Whitmore off, but his blood churned to get there as fast as possible, before she could finish what she wanted to do. "Please, please, please" ran in his head like a mantra, and he wasn't sure who he was asking exactly, but he needed Lucy to be okay. As horrific as that last vision had been, at least it had ended with her alive, broken yes, but alive and in his arms. He begged for it to be the same now.

Wyatt threw the car into park suddenly and Garcia glared at him before he pointed. The three agents bolted from the car as they saw Lucy running down the stairs with Whitmore close on her heels. She grabbed Lucy by the arm as they hit the ground floor, and Lucy spun and thrust her heel into her face. He didn't think she'd hit her with enough momentum to break the nose, but it stunned Whitmore for a minute and gave Lucy a chance to kick her in the side of the knee and send her to the ground. Garcia expected her to keep running or maybe notice that they were there since they'd almost reached her. He hadn't counted on Lucy's rage. She reared back and kicked Whitmore in the side as hard as she could.

"DHS, hands up!" Wyatt yelled as they finally got close enough.

"Lucy!" He called to warn her that he was coming up behind her, and she sagged and swayed, before she was blessedly, finally in his reach, and she pulled herself up to launch at him. Garcia caught her and held her as tightly as he could without hurting her. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Wyatt and Karl handcuffing Whitmore and reading her rights as the cops and FBI pulled into the parking lot.

"Is Iris okay?" Lucy shrieked at him.

"Yes, she's at DHS, and she's fine." She leaned hard on him, and he could feel the tension still running through her. They both needed to go see Iris for themselves. He needed to hold her too and then maybe he could finally relax.

"Karl, have the FBI take her in to DHS, but stay with her." Karl nodded. "Logan, we're leaving in three minutes with or without you." With that, he made off for his SUV, still holding Lucy. He had to get away from Whitmore before he gave in to the temptation to take care of her himself. Lucy and Iris were more important.

"I can walk, Garcia." He ignored that and carried her until he reached the car.

"Are you okay? Did she hurt you?" Garcia sat her down in the back seat, legs hanging out of the open door as he ran his eyes and hands over her face and head, gently moving her arms and legs to check for breaks.

"No, I…I don't know how she didn't. I mean, maybe some soreness from the zip tie and my hip caught the door as I ran out, so I'll have a bruise, but…thank God for Amy teaching me some basic self-defense."

"Thank God," Garcia leaned down to lay his forehead against hers and he finally took a breath. She was okay. He leaned in and kissed her, and he had to pull back before he started crying. Now that the danger was past, the wall holding back his emotions was threatening to break. He had to at least make it to Iris first.

"Okay, I'm here," Wyatt called as he jogged toward them. "Lucy, are you okay?" Garcia moved out of the way to let her hug Wyatt and assure him she was okay.

"I just need to see Iris," she said and oh, he loved her.

"Okay, are you driving or…?" Wyatt asked Garcia and trailed off as he saw him climb in the back. "Seriously?" he said dryly, kidding, but Garcia heard the touch of irritation and saw the brief flash of hurt in his eyes though he tried to hide it.

"I'm sorry, Logan. I just can't…I can't."

"I get it," he said and Garcia could see that he did. "Just no making out, okay? I'm not your chauffeur."

He didn't let Lucy's hand out of his grasp for the entire ride. She sat in the middle seat, buckled in (not taking any more risks today, she said). She shook as she leaned on his shoulder, and he knew that she was probably about to crash from her adrenaline high.

Someone had called ahead, because Iris was waiting with Denise on the sidewalk when they pulled up and he didn't even try to prevent his legs from collapsing under relief once he finally had her in his arms. He only managed to let her go when she whimpered for Lucy and launched herself from his arms into hers.

The sight of the two of them clinging together, well and whole, after hours of fearing he might never see either of them ever again finally overwhelmed Garcia. The tears blinded him, and he felt Iris climb onto his lap as he wrapped her in one arm. He felt with the other arm for Lucy until he found her leg and tugged on her jeans until she joined him on the curb and let him wrap her up as well. His world was still in one piece, he was probably locking Iris up until she was thirty, and he wasn't letting either of them out of his sight for the foreseeable future.

* * *

Author's Note: One more chapter and an epilogue to go!


	14. All Shall Be Well

_Disclaimer: I don't own Timeless._

Author's Note: So...I lied. Two chapters and an epilogue left to go, counting this one.

* * *

The next couple of weeks passed by in a blur. The first few days especially, when Lucy looked back, she could hardly remember, aside from a few moments that stood out. Explaining to Amy about Cahill and their mother, crying as Amy reassured her that it didn't change anything. Iris panicking the first night Lucy went back home to be with Amy. Garcia had admitted later that he hadn't been much better and had been glad to have Iris climb in his bed. He had finally broken down and given her a stripped-down smartphone so she could talk to Lucy when she needed to, after getting a complete security lockdown by Jiya who made sure he had full control.

Things hadn't been a picnic for Lucy, either. After two nights at the Flynn house she had made herself go home. She didn't want to be away from them anymore than they wanted her to be, but she was afraid of the situation creating a false sense of intimacy between the three of them. There was true intimacy there, but she didn't want to ever question whether the seriousness of their relationships had been forced by circumstance rather than choice.

A grand jury had quickly been formed and had chosen to indict Jake Neville, Benjamin Cahill and Emma Whitmore. They were all expected to plead out to avoid the death penalty, which was likely a foregone conclusion with the heaps of federal charges, including but not limited to conspiracy to commit murder, kidnapping, and human trafficking. Lucy would sleep easier once that had been said and done and they were securely behind bars for life.

Jessica Logan had pled down to lesser charges. During her interrogation it had come out that she had been passing Emma information on the Delta Force whereabouts on and off for over a year before leaving her bartending job. She couldn't seem to explain why she had done it, didn't seem to know herself, aside from saying that once she had Kate, she had wanted to be more than a mom and a bartender. To Lucy's mind, there were a lot of options in between bartender and indentured servant to an international crime ring, so it was hard to have any sympathy for her. She was expected to serve at least three years of her ten-year sentence in exchange for her cooperation with the investigation. Fortunately, Wyatt hadn't been implicated in her confession—she had simply known his routines, and even after they had separated, known when he was or wasn't deployed due to the need to pass Kate back and forth. The one good thing to come out of that had been Wyatt getting the divorce finalized and being awarded full custody. He was still reeling, which was easy to understand. An unknown father being a criminal mastermind was one thing—the mother of your child, your spouse? It was too awful to imagine.

Lucy smiled as she pulled into the driveway and saw Iris, Olivia and Mark playing with Katie in the front yard. The whole group was assembling at the Christopher home for a cookout, ostensibly to celebrate the successful closure of their case, but she had a feeling it was Denise's way of sneaking in a debrief for everyone who had participated in the case. Stiv and Karl had begged off, but everyone else, including Jiya and Rufus, had been invited and confirmed.

As she got out of the car, Iris ran to her and attached herself to Lucy like an octopus. "Hi, honey. How are you? Are you ready for tomorrow?"

It was Saturday afternoon and Iris and Olivia were heading off to a two-week long sleepaway camp the next day. Iris had declared a week ago that she still wanted to go, and Garcia had been struggling with it. He had poured out his concerns to Lucy, who agreed with him that it would be healthy for Iris to see that she would be okay away from him, but she understood. Whenever she pictured that gun pointing at Iris's head, anxiety settled in her stomach like a rock, and it must have been a hundred times worse for him.

"I'm all packed. Dad got the camp director to let me have my cell phone the whole time, so I can call whenever I need to."

Lucy's shoulders eased at that. "That's great. But I bet you'll be so busy having fun you won't even have time to worry about us. How's your dad doing?"

Iris rolled her eyes. "He's pretending he's fine. But he keeps double-checking different routes on Google maps for how long it takes to get to camp from our house when he thinks I'm not looking."

"It's not easy for him, either. He wants you to have fun and be safe."

Iris tugged Lucy's hand as she wound through the house and pulled her into the backyard. "You'll take care of him while I'm gone, right?"

"Of course," she laughed as Mark and Olivia bumped into her from behind, toting Katie who smelled like she needed her dad. Wyatt was chatting with Jiya and Dave in the corner of the yard. Lucy was relieved to see that he was smiling.

Iris took off to rejoin the other kids and Lucy strode to where Garcia was talking to Michelle and Amy and slipped her arms around his waist to hug him from the side. He curled his free arm around her and bent to kiss her hello.

"Hey," he pulled away grinning at her. Michelle and Amy exchanged a gleeful look before moving to join Dave and the others.

"Hey. How are you doing?"

He bit his lip. "Trying to hold it together until she goes. I know it's better for her to go but letting her out of my sight right now is excruciating."

"I know," she whispered. "Could you use a distraction when she leaves?"

Garcia raised his eyebrows, "Are you offering to come stay with me?"

"Do you want me to?"

His answer was in his twinkling eyes and smirk before he spoke. "More than just about anything. I've missed you."

She hummed in agreement as she kissed him by way of response. They hadn't had much time together, at least not alone, in the past two weeks. There had been a few hasty, stolen moments here or there, but that was it. Amy and Iris had both needed her presence so badly, and she couldn't blame either of them or say no. But Lucy needed _him_.

"Ahem," a throat clearing interrupted them and Lucy pulled back, but Garcia kept his hands in place on her hips as he glowered at Denise. She smiled at him, unruffled by his look.

"Hi, Lucy. How are you doing?"

"I'm alright," she smiled uncertainly back at Denise. She was relieved to find Jiya suddenly at her side. "Oh, Denise, this is my friend Jiya." Jiya and Denise moved to shake hands and when they touched, Denise froze, staring off into space. The other three looked at each other in alarm, but then she came back to herself with a gasp.

"What the hell?" she whispered. It dawned on Lucy what was happening.

"Did you see something?" Lucy asked and she saw Jiya's look of alarm settle into knowing. Denise moved to sit in one of the patio chairs and the three of them followed.

"Yes. The two of you." She gestured between Jiya and Lucy. "You were talking me out of my engagement."

"To Michelle?" Garcia cut in.

"No. In 1981, I nearly agreed to an arranged marriage. I had a dream where two women came and they told me about Michelle and our children, and I…I assumed it was just my subconscious telling me not to give in. I forgot about it until now. But it was the two of you." She stared at them in wonder for a long moment before waving her hands in the air. "Listen to me, I sound crazy. Just forget it."

"You're not crazy, Denise. It's happened to us, too," Lucy assured her.

"Him too?" Jiya lowly asked Lucy and she nodded. They all looked at each other warily, and Michelle chose that moment to announce dinner was ready.

Lucy was nervous the rest of the evening waiting for the subject of the visions to come up, but no one brought it up again. Instead, they talked about the kids, about Rufus and Jiya's upcoming wedding in October, about Amy's podcast and plans to move in with Dave in a month (Lucy still wasn't sure what she was going to do with that, so she was choosing to be happy for the two of them for now). By some unspoken agreement, they only talked of cheerful, uncomplicated things, and for the first time in the last two weeks, Lucy felt like she could breathe free. She could relax against Garcia without having to grip him until her knuckles were white to make sure he wouldn't disappear. Kiss him gently and quickly instead of like it might be the last time. Enjoy the feel of his eyes watching her from across the room as she, Rufus and Michelle laughed together and not feel like he would disappear as soon as she couldn't feel his eyes on her anymore.

Iris came to find Lucy in the kitchen as she was helping Denise with the dishes. She was mostly over her annoyance at the woman. She found her maternal in a way her mother never had been, and it was endearing.

"Lucy," Iris ventured, licking her lips just like her father did when he was nervous. "Would you stay with us tonight? And come take me to camp in the morning?"

It was on the tip of her tongue to say yes, but she made herself pause. "Um, let me double-check with your dad first, alright? I'll be there as soon as I finish these last couple glasses."

Iris sighed "He said you'd say that," as she turned to leave.

Denise was watching her, and Lucy was trying not to blush. "You won't mess it up."

"What?" Lucy turned to look at the other woman who was looking at her with a knowing smile.

"You're not going to mess up your relationship with them. Your fear is written all over your face. Garcia is one of those people—once he makes a decision, he's set."

Lucy sighed. "I'm always afraid of ruining things. It's…I just hear my mom in my head, telling me I'm going to go too fast, that I'm not thinking it through. I'm trying to get past it."

Denise nodded and hummed in response. "I get that. It's hard when your parents want a different life for you than the one you want or need. I—what I was talking about before—my mother, she didn't take it well when I came out, and that's putting it lightly. She wanted me to bury it, to marry a man regardless of how I felt, to be the perfect stay-at-home Indian bride. I had to choose to make my own life anyway."

"What happened with your mom afterward?"

"Oh, she was upset for a long time. She eventually came around, very slowly. Especially once we had Mark. Kids have a way of building a bridge." She grabbed the last glass from Lucy as she finished washing it and paused before drying it, looking Lucy in the face. "I'm sorry that you won't get a chance for that with your mom. But I'm also glad that you're stepping out and making your own life for yourself."

"Me too. I have to figure out a way to quiet that voice in my head. Or at least stop listening to it."

"I think you'll get there."

"It helps that they're so easy to…"

"Easy to love?" Denise laughed at Lucy's blush. "If it helps, it's clear they both feel the same way about you." Denise grinned at something over Lucy's shoulder and Lucy closed her eyes in pleasure as Garcia's arms wrapped around her from behind. When Lucy opened her eyes, Denise was looking at her with a smirk that clearly said 'yeah, you're a goner', and she could only huff sheepishly in agreement. "I'm going to go find my wife. You two behave," she called as she left them alone.

"I hear you have something to ask me," Garcia's whispered into her ear and she leaned back into him and rubbed his arms.

"Iris wants me to come home with you and to drop her off tomorrow. Is that okay?"

He gently moved her to face him and bent so she could see him well. "Lucy, do you truly not realize by now that the answer is always yes?" She smiled into his kiss.

"Good thing I have an overnight bag in the car, then." His grin at that was so delighted that she kissed him again and grabbed both hands to pull him along behind her. "Let's go get Iris."

Lucy rode the two hours to the camp in the back seat with Iris, playing a card game, talking about all her plans for camp.

"I never got to go to sleepaway camp. My mom wouldn't let me," Lucy admitted wistfully after Iris asked her.

"Why not?"

"Oh, I was only allowed to pursue activities that would help me academically. Well, allowed is too strong word. Encouraged. If I had insisted, Dad would have let me." Lucy deflated a bit at that and she felt a smaller hand cover her own.

"I'm sorry about your dad, Lucy. I would be so upset if I found out Dad wasn't really my dad." She looked ready to cry at the thought, and Lucy squeezed her hand tight.

"It's okay. I'm sad about it too. But, even if we didn't share blood, my dad was still my dad and he loved me just the same." She and Amy had spent a good amount of the past two weeks conferring on that point. Amy had finally dragged out some of their old home videos and made Lucy pay attention to how Henry had talked to her, how he had looked at her when he was on camera. There was no difference between how he acted toward her and Amy. His love was in every word and look and touch and Lucy had bawled in relief. "Your dad wouldn't feel any different about you either. But those beautiful green eyes don't lie." She touched Iris on the nose and Iris grinned back at her.

"Are you going to meet him?" Garcia sucked in a breath and Lucy leaned forward to soothe him, brushing her hand down his arm. Cahill had repeatedly asked throughout the negotiating process. Fortunately, Garcia had been on leave the week following the abduction and hadn't been in the building. They would have been hard pressed to keep him from strangling the man.

"Never," she answered firmly.

"Because he had Ms. Whitmore take me?" Lucy squeezed her eyes shut at the picture of that woman pointing a gun at the girl in front of her and gulped.

"I don't want to know a person who could have someone take _any_ kid, father or not. It makes it a million times worse that it was you." Lucy blew out a long, shaky breath. They had talked before about the abduction, but Iris's questions had been more of the "Am I safe? Are you safe? Are they definitely staying in jail?" variety. She hoped talking this way wasn't going to walk Iris into a panic attack, but she seemed okay for the moment. Garcia's eyes caught hers in the rearview mirror and he nodded at her in encouragement. "I was thinking, though…I might want to meet my brother one day."

Denise had been the one to take point with Benjamin Cahill's family. His poor wife had been completely blindsided and his son had wanted to kill him. They had apparently not had the closest of relationships to begin with, though he had never suspected anything near as bad as the truth. Divorce papers had immediately been drawn up, including a name change for each of them back to her maiden name. Denise had encouraged her that it was okay to use the Cahill family money, none of which came from crime, as the previous generations were clean as far as they could tell. She reluctantly agreed, but refused all other money from her husband, not wanting any dirty money to support her. As much as Lucy had been knocked for a loop, she knew it was much worse for them, and she felt a bit of pride that they at least seemed to be decent people.

"You have a little brother?"

"Yeah. His name is Ethan."

"Hmm. I'd like to have a little brother. When you marry dad, you should have one." Lucy's head flew back like that had given her whiplash.

"Iris! That's…that's one of those…" Lucy didn't dare meet Garcia's eyes as he looked in the rearview mirror to scold Iris. She could practically hear him blushing. "Lucy and I will decide those things together when…if and when we decide the time is right. That's not something that's up for discussion. Got it?"

Iris rolled her eyes and nodded. Lucy looked out the window, not daring to look at either of them as she bit back a relentless smile. The thought of being married to Garcia, having a little boy with dark curls and his eyes…she wanted it. She could almost taste it, and she let herself wash in that feeling for a few minutes before breaking into the awkward silence.

"So, I never went to camp, but I've seen a lot of camp movies, and it sounds like you'd better have a solid junk food stash. What've you got?"

"Pop-tarts, obviously."

"Obviously."

"Uh…Peanut M&Ms, Doritos, Sweetarts," Lucy looked up and saw that Garcia was hiding a smile in the front seat and she did the same as she looked back to Iris.

After the drive, Lucy had hoped that drop-off might not be too hard, but it was painful. Iris held up bravely as they took her bag and checked out her cabin, met her counselor and took a quick tour of the main campus. However, when they went to load back in the car and say goodbye, the tears started, and she clung to Garcia. Lucy could see his own fear kicking in as he looked at her helplessly over Iris's head as he hugged his daughter close and worked his jaw. Her own stomach was in knots, but she needed to be the strong one for a minute.

Lucy put her hand on Iris's shoulder and squeezed. Cupping the back of Garcia's head, she leaned up to whisper, "It's okay. Whatever you decide, it's okay." When she stepped back, his eyes had relaxed some and he leaned down, softly speaking Croatian in Iris's ear. Finally, Iris nodded and her sobs tapered off as she calmed. Lucy was entranced as she watched them, Garcia holding Iris's face in his hands and helping her to take courage.

"I have something for you in the car," he moved to the passenger side and Iris came over to hug Lucy goodbye.

"Please be careful, Lucy," Iris's voice was shaky and raw and Lucy felt a lump grow in her own throat.

"I will. Your dad doesn't know that I know, but he had campus security upgrade the system in the history building and increase their patrols there."

Iris chuckled weakly. "Can you look out for him, too?"

"Yeah. We'll both be okay, and you can call us whenever you need to, okay?"

"Okay." Garcia came back and handed Iris a jeweler's box. She opened it to find a gold necklace with a tiny I initial charm on it.

"Oh, Dad, I love it. Look, Lucy." She turned so he could put it on her.

"I'm glad you like it. It's okay to wear in the lake and the shower, so you don't have to worry about taking it off and losing it, okay?"

Lucy pursed her lips, as it partially confirmed her suspicion. The necklace did the trick, though, and Iris's counselor and one of her fellow bunkmates came over to help her settle in. After another round of hugs goodbye, she walked off and they watched her go.

Once Iris got a decent distance away, Garcia groaned and let himself slump. Lucy pulled him into a hug. "I'm proud of you."

"I almost couldn't do it. I need to get in the car right now so I don't change my mind."

Lucy smiled as they climbed in and he backed out. Once they'd navigated their way out of the growing crowd of arrivals and back onto the highway, she turned to him and narrowed her eyes. "So. Tracking chip in the necklace, huh? Very sneaky."

Garcia determinedly kept his gaze straight ahead. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm talking about how I overheard you and Denise talking about the NSA refusing to chip her because she's a minor and doesn't work for them. Something about it being illegal…?"

He broke. "Okay, but this isn't invasive. It's pretty, right?" Lucy nodded. "It's not the NSA, so the government doesn't get the information. I'm the one who can track it. And…it…matches one I got for you." Garcia grimaced as she glared at him. She had been amused but mildly irritated when it was Iris, but to sneak one on Lucy was too far.

"Were you going to tell me? Or just give it to me like you did Iris?"

"Yes, I was going to tell you! I didn't tell Iris because she's a child, and she doesn't need to know. You've seen how scared she is of getting taken again, I don't want her to think I'm preparing because it's definitely going to happen."

The fight that followed wasn't pretty. The stress of the kidnapping and its aftermath the past couple weeks, the lack of time together, the emotional ringer of dropping Iris off at camp, all of it swarmed together and neither of them was as careful with their words as they should have been. They finally settled into a stony silence and Lucy stared out the window at the scenery as it passed.

 _It was nighttime, in the forest. Her voice shook as she stood in front of the boy and stared at Flynn as he paced and turned back, aiming the gun at her. When he saw her he immediately moved the gun and begged her to move with tears in his eyes. They battled back and forth, her begging him to follow his conscience, him begging her to let him end Rittenhouse. She should have been scared, and she was, but not for herself. For whatever reason, killing or even hurting her seemed to be the one line he wouldn't cross, and she was going to use that if she had to. Although, this was really a line he hadn't crossed, either, to kill a child, and she couldn't stand by and let that happen. Not for John, and not for Flynn._

 _As much as he wanted to play the ruthless villain, he wasn't. It had been there in his voice, with Lincoln, at Castle Varlar. He didn't want any of this, and even if she wanted to deny it, she felt a bit responsible. Her words had caused him to become this. She had caused this, even if indirectly, through her journal, and maybe she could also cause him to change for the better._

 _Lucy begged him to not cross the line, so that he could still be a husband and a father. She wasn't lying, she truly did see that in him. Misguided as his actions were, they were done out of love for his family. But she had miscalculated with that, reminded him of the reason he should do it, and suddenly he was pulling her through the woods, as she yelled for Wyatt and Rufus._

She gasped hard as she came to and Garcia braked and jerked to look at her in response. He took the next exit, which was a rest area, and he parked where there were no other cars around them.

"Are you okay?" Garcia looked at her in concern and Lucy wasn't sure how to answer. Her annoyance was fading as she knew they both had overreacted, but her emotions felt raw. Then the vision…

"Just…a vision. It was bad."

"What was it?"

"We were in the woods, dressed like it was the late 18th century, probably, and I was trying to stop you from…"

"From?"

"Killing a twelve-year-old kid. You didn't do it!" She added hastily as he recoiled. "You didn't want to, but you were talking about bringing back your family and how he was all that was left of…of Rittenhouse, whatever that is. And you um…you got mad that I wouldn't move aside, so you kind of…took me with you."

Garcia laid his forehead on the wheel. "These things just keep getting better and better. I…should I apologize? I don't…I'm sorry. I had some while you were taken. It made my reaction worse than it might have been otherwise, and I've been having nightmares ever since. I'm sorry, I don't mean to be overbearing or controlling. But I saw Lorena and Iris murdered…and ever since, I can't get it out of my head, and I can't…I can't let anything like that happen to Iris or to you."

Lucy got out of the car and went over to the driver's side, opened his door and climbed onto his lap, wrapping her arms around him tight.

"I'm sorry. I overreacted. Mine was…I was kidnapped. I mean, yes, in real life, but in the vision, too. My mom was part of it and they were trying to brainwash me, to control me. I think that's why I reacted so strongly to the tracking chip thing—I don't want to feel controlled. I thought everyone was dead, Jiya, Rufus, and Wyatt, and you were in jail. It was somehow my fault that you were, and I was thinking how you wouldn't come, they were going to kill you. It was Emma, Garcia. And I had another one where she killed Rufus and then I went after her. It was in Chinatown, and I tried to shoot her, but the gun was empty."

"She was strangling and beating you, and I ran in."

"And you scared her off and then held me while I cried."

Lucy pulled back to meet Garcia's eyes and he looked as weirded out as she felt. Then he picked her up, and stood up, holding her bridal style, and walked halfway down the grassy hill below the parking lot.

"What are we doing?"

"We're going to sit here, in the grass. We're going to hold each other and we are going to not freak out."

"Okay."

Lucy sat in between his legs on the grass, twisting so that she could wrap her arms around him and laid the side of her head against his chest. A few minutes passed as Lucy let the feel and smell of Garcia and the sound of his heartbeat crowd out all her thoughts. Finally, she felt calm enough to pull back and look at him.

"What do you want to do, Lucy?"

"I think…I think I want us to not let these visions or memories mess up our lives. At the very least, we can be grateful that that's not what our lives are, right?"

"Right."

"If they help us somehow, then fine, but if they're bad…I don't want to know more. I don't want to figure them out. If I lived it in some past life, or some alternate universe version of us lived it, I don't want to know."

Garcia took that in and bobbed his head, looking relieved. "I agree. I think we should treat them just like any other fear or nightmare. What do you mean, if they help us? Have they helped you?"

"They helped me with Emma a little. I knew she wasn't going to have any sympathy for us, I knew she hated me—I still don't get why—and so I got her talking and distracted. But I also didn't hesitate to attack her, because I knew she would be ruthless."

"You were amazing. If the visions helped you, then I suppose they're worth it. I think you could have done it anyway, though."

"Well, and…in a way, they brought me you, so. Definitely worth it."

Garcia stood up and pulled Lucy to her feet, kissing the top of her head. "Completely."

They climbed back in the car. "Are we okay then? Fight over?"

"Fight over," he replied, kissing the back of her hand as he started the car. He smirked to himself for a minute.

"What?"

"Oh, just thinking. Wondering if having our first real fight means we also get to have our first real make-up."

Lucy flushed, suddenly wishing there wasn't an hour of driving left. "Depends. Do I get my rain check?"

He squinted at her after he'd merged onto the road. "Rain check?"

"After we went to Isabella's? The wall?"

She giggled as he growled at her. "You love doing this to me, don't you?"

"Hi pot, I'm kettle."

Garcia grinned at that and hit the gas.

* * *

 _Flynn was lying on his back when he woke. He tried to sweep away the mental cobwebs and grimaced as he recognized the drug-induced blurriness. Lifting his left hand to rub his eyes, he felt a burn in his side and he remembered as he quickly let his hand drop. The Rittenhouse agent, the glint of a blade, the stabbing pain before the agent had slumped from his shot. Lucy's terrified eyes meeting his from across the room as she saw the blood spreading across his shirt._

 _The blanket covering his chest lifted and he realized that Lucy was awake beside him. She moved to look at the dressing and sucked in a breath at the sight. Lying back down, she hid her face against his chest and he stroked her hair._

" _How bad?" she asked._

" _Not too bad. The doctor said no organ damage, but I lost a decent amount of blood. Twelve stitches. Had a transfusion, a truckload of antibiotics and a few painkillers. I'll be fine."_

 _Flynn swallowed the lump in his throat as he felt her quaking against him. She was such a treasure. So caring, so lovable. He knew he didn't deserve her, but he was incapable of turning her away, even if he knew he should for her sake. Being with him by default couldn't be the best thing for her, but the way she glowed when they were alone…he couldn't bring himself to be another person who made the smile fall from her face. Of course, she wasn't smiling now._

" _Don't," she hoarsely whispered. "Don't you dare die on me. Promise."_

 _He cringed at that. "You know I can't promise that." It killed him to deny her, but he couldn't make that promise, not when it could easily be broken. No one could, especially not anyone currently living in a government black site to hide from the evil shadow organization that wanted to kill them._

 _Lucy pulled back to press the heels of her hands hard against her eyes as she sat back on her knees. He ached to help her, but he refused to make promises that would only make it worse for her if he couldn't keep them._

" _Just…just, please. You have to be careful, okay? Please be okay."_

 _He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I know you don't want to lose anyone else. I'm not trying to get killed, honestly. But you can't ask me that."_

" _Why not?"_

" _I'm not going to lie to you, Lucy! I'm going to do whatever it takes to take down Rittenhouse and protect you, and if that means I get injured, or even killed, then so be it!"_

" _Well, don't! Don't do 'whatever it takes'. Not dying."_

" _Why not, Lucy? I don't understand. You know this. You know this is how it is."_

 _Her head snapped up and her eyes sparked as she snapped. "Because I love you, you dumbass!"_

 _The naked truth of it was in her eyes and his breath left him in a rush. "You…you do?" he croaked out dumbly._

" _Yes," she replied, exasperated, though he could see the fight draining out of her as her eyes filled. "And I thought you…I thought maybe you…"_

" _I do," he burst out, grabbing her hand. "God, yes, I love you, Lucy. I've loved you for so long. I thought you knew that." Nearly a year of wanting her before he stopped hating himself for it and stopped trying to scare her away to force himself to accept the impossibility of her wanting him back. Another half year of being fully in love with her before admitting it to himself, and one more additional month of out-and-out pining before she kissed him. He still felt dizzy with joy just remembering the look of determination on her face when she grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled his mouth to hers. Three months since then that they had been in a relationship, if that's what they were. And yes, he had counted._

" _I thought you did, but you never said, and…" Flynn kissed her head as she trailed off and laid back down on him._

" _I didn't want to put that on you. I didn't think you could love me back, and you, this, what we have is too special to risk losing it just to get that off my chest."_

" _Well, I do love you, so obviously I CAN. And for future reference, it would be nice to be able to make advances in our relationship without someone having to die or almost die first. So, you have to promise that you will at least TRY to avoid that."_

" _Okay, I promise to do my best. As long as you do, too," he nudged her head up with his shoulder, grunting at the movement. She met his eyes and nodded solemnly._

 _So. They WERE in a relationship. Lucy LOVED him. Him. He smiled before realizing his eyelids were heavy as lead. He felt the blood loss and painkillers pulling him toward sleep, so he quickly added, "Hey. I love you," and she kissed him gently._

" _I love you, too," and she curled up next to him as he fell back to sleep._

Garcia woke first in the Monday morning light. He rolled onto his side to look at Lucy, who had been moving quite a bit in her sleep, and at some point she had rolled onto her own back. Normally she slept on her side, curled into a ball, unless she was tangled up with him. His lips twitched at the sound of her light snoring, which was probably from her position and her mouth gaping open. Her hands were still curled inside the sleeves of his sweater.

"Hmm, you're staring again," she muttered dreamily before stretching like a cat and rolling to face him. "What time is it?"

He craned his neck to check. "Twelve after six."

"Good. Plenty of time," she answered, making her intentions clear as her hand smoothed down his bare chest. He caught her hand as she tried to move lower and she looked at him in surprise. "Are you stopping me?"

"Have I ever stopped you?" Garcia looked at her pointedly and she tried and failed to keep herself from looking smug, clearly remembering the previous evening. "I'm not starting now. Just…first." His heart picked up speed and he deflected as he tried to gather his courage. "Do you need to head to the bathroom?"

He jerked out of the way as she tried to tweak his nipple. "Hey!"

"Jerk," she said fondly and he smiled at her and bit his lip.

"There's something I want to say. I know it hasn't been that long, but I suppose we aren't following a normal course, and that's fine by me, I don't care about that as long as you're happy with it, too. I don't want to scare you off, but you probably know anyway, and the whole time you were missing I was so angry at myself for not telling you—"

"Garcia," she put her hand on his cheek. "What is it?"

"I love you," he blurted out. Lucy's eyes widened, but she didn't look upset, so he continued. "I'm so in love with you, Lucy. I don't expect anything, you absolutely do not have to say anything back, but I just needed to tell you," he blew out shakily and closed his eyes. There. He had done it. At least she knew. He didn't want to be like other-him, leaving her so unsure of his feelings that she finally exploded from fear and frustration and yelled it at him first.

Her leg swung over his hips as she climbed on top of him and his breath caught. He smiled, eyes still closed, as he caressed the length of her legs. She leaned down until their noses touched and he finally opened his eyes to see her staring back with her heart in her eyes. Perhaps he was in love with an actual sunbeam, because she was beaming, shining, as she smiled back at him and it warmed him to the core.

"I don't scare that easily, silly man. I already knew. I love you too." Lucy's mouth pressed against his and she swallowed his sigh of joy and relief before pulling back. "Can we un-pause now?"

He flipped her back onto the pillows and smirked down at her. "Anything you say, love."


	15. And All Shall Be Well

_Disclaimer: I don't own Timeless._

 _Buckle up, kids. I got really verbose trying to finish it off. And now we're done, except for a short epilogue! Thank you so much for reading._

* * *

 _Lucy groaned as Flynn massaged her aching back._

" _Sorry," he apologized sheepishly. "I guess I pushed you too hard today."_

" _No," she disagreed. "I have to keep going. I have to get stronger. Better."_

 _They had been training daily in cardio, strength, hand to hand combat, and weekly in weapons. Most days they did cardio as a group, strength individually (though Flynn was always there with Lucy, as for pretty much everything), with Wyatt training Jiya and Rufus in combat and Flynn training Lucy. Things had improved a lot between her and Wyatt, but not to the point where she was comfortable with them throwing each other around and rolling around on a mat together. Now with Flynn…well, that was an entirely different story. An enjoyable one._

" _You have to make sure not to overdo it, Lucy. I know you want to beat Emma, but we have to make sure you don't injure yourself."_

" _I won't. I'm fine, I'm just sore."_

" _Hmph," Flynn huffed._

" _Garcia," she sighed and sat up to face him. "Seriously. You push me exactly the right amount, okay? You have a lot more faith in me than I do, so I need that push. It works."_

 _He assessed her face to make sure she was telling the truth before he relaxed against the head of the bed. "You're doing much better than you realize. You've come a long way in such a short time. You're a decent shot, you apply your quick mind when we're sparring—which is insanely sexy, by the way—your endurance is improving, and you're gaining muscle strength." To illustrate his last point, he ran his hand up one of Lucy's newly defined calves._

 _She laughed and swatted his hand away. "I have to go hit the shower before the others take all the hot water. Is it okay if I come sleep in here tonight after I get my things from my room?"_

 _Flynn was biting his lip when Lucy looked up to see why he didn't answer. Her stomach fell. "I don't have to stay in here if you need alone time, I can stay in my room." The thought of it hurt, though. It wasn't like him to turn her away, and she wondered if something had gone wrong between them. She moved to put her feet on the floor, and he stopped her with a hand._

 _Lucy let him pull her back against him, her back to his chest as he leaned against the headboard. "Of course I want you to stay, Lucy. I was just thinking…what if your things were here?"_

 _His muscles were rigid at her back and around her. Flynn was rarely this tightly wound anymore, except on mission, and while she was worrying about it, it took a minute for her to comprehend what he was asking, so he kept going. "It's…you don't have to. I know we already live together. But there are so many steps in a normal relationship that we miss out on because we're shut in here. I know that here we finally have more room and you have your own space, but…I thought…I want to fall asleep with you every night and wake up with you every morning, and…what do you think?"_

 _Lucy could feel him cringing as he ducked his head to bury his face against her shoulder. "Yes," she said simply._

 _Flynn's head snapped up. "Yes?"_

" _Yes," she smiled as he finally moved so he could see her face and his own had such a shy look that she nearly cried from the tenderness that suffused her chest._

" _You know I'm asking you to move in with me, right?"_

 _Lucy laughed at his incredulity and kissed the bottom of his chin. "You can start moving my stuff while I shower." She patted his leg as she stood up to leave, not looking back to see how bright his grin was as she left the room. She could feel it warming her back like the late afternoon sun._

* * *

"I can't believe you got me a dog!" Lucy exclaimed for the third time as she sat on the grass to pet the black German Shepherd mix. Garcia had been like a little boy with a secret all week long and now she knew why.

"A rescue, like you wanted, but he's been trained as a guard dog. He's still on the young side, but this way you don't have to potty train him. He'll keep you safe."

"I thought that's what this was for," she said, picking up her necklace with the L charm as they went back inside, the older puppy loping ahead of them to attack a squeaky toy.

Garcia ran a finger along the necklace. "This is so I can find you if you ever get taken again. Dynamite is to keep you safe at home now that you're by yourself, and hopefully to help keep anything like that from happening in the first place. But if you don't want him—"

"I do! I do. I thought I already had a guard dog, though." She smirked at him wickedly.

"You're cute," he said sarcastically, as she sat down on the couch and he put his arm around her.

"You're right, that's not accurate. You're sneakier than a dog. More stealthy and slinky. Like a guard panther."

Garcia laughed fully at her ridiculousness. Lucy leaned into his shoulder, mentally going through a checklist.

"The closest I've come to having a dog is when Jen, my grad school roommate, kept her boyfriend's stray for a month. Our apartment got fleas."

"I've had dogs before, I know everything you need. You just get preventative flea and tick medication from his vet. If you don't want to do it by yourself, you could…you could stay here."

Lucy felt how stiff Garcia was holding himself beside her and she was taken aback. "I thought it was already decided I was staying here tonight. I mean, Iris is already in bed and everything."

"Um…I meant for good." Lucy froze, staring at Dynamite as he gnawed on a rubber toy. "Have you thought about it? About…selling the house? Moving in here with me?"

Lucy full-on panicked at that. What could she say? Part of her wanted it, but she had made a decision a long time ago that she wanted to stick to, and what if he didn't understand? He could be crushed. She sucked in a long breath.

Garcia sighed beside her. "You haven't. That…that's okay, Lucy, I know it's a lot, with the dog and everything and…I should have waited or dropped hints or…"

He was breaking her heart, staring at the ground dejectedly, and she knew she had to explain. Climbing onto his lap, she took his face in her hands. "Garcia, stop. It's not that."

"What is it then?" He whispered, still refusing to meet her gaze, even as she stroked his cheeks with her thumbs.

"When Mom got sick and I moved back home…I had only been living on my own for a year. I had lived with roommates in college and grad school, and then this douchebag Hoyt that my mom wanted me to marry—we lived together for almost two years before I broke it off."

Garcia was still looking away, but his body had relaxed slightly. Hopefully that was a good sign.

"I resented moving back home. I felt guilty about it, Mom was sick and really did need me, but I felt like I'd just gotten out from under her thumb after finishing my PhD and turning Hoyt down. I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't live with anyone again unless I was destitute or getting married—and not to anyone Mom would approve of."

Finally, his green eyes met hers, expression still unreadable, and she kissed his cheek before continuing. She rambled, hardly even knowing what she said, just hoping that the words would erase the misery from his eyes.

"I have thought about in the last couple months. I've thought about it a lot. I love being here with you and Iris, and I'd love to be here with you all the time. I've come really close to reconsidering. But that was one of the first big decisions I made that was fully MINE, my own quiet rebellion as I got sucked back into my mother's orbit. So I don't think I should move in until we get married. I mean, maybe it's stupid. I'm sure Amy would think so. I'll probably be kicking myself the next time I have to leave here, but I don't want to break that promise to myself."

Somehow, it had worked, though she still couldn't read his thoughts, he didn't look so dismayed anymore and she leaned in to hug him.

"Please don't be upset," she whispered, on the verge of tears.

His arms closed around her and she sagged against him in relief. "I understand, love, it's okay." He pulled back to push her hair from her face and soothed a finger where her brow was crinkled in worry. "I get that it's not about me. I mean, I'm a bit sad that you aren't going to be here all the time, I'll still miss you whenever you aren't here, but I'm not upset with you."

"Are you sure? Because I love you. So much. I don't ever want to hurt you or for you to think this doesn't go both ways because—" Garcia grabbed her face and pulled her in to kiss her.

"I love you too, and I know you love me. We're alright." And Lucy could see that they were. In fact, there was a light in his eyes that hadn't been there before. She wasn't sure what had put it there, but she was too relieved to care. "Now, I don't think I've told you yet today how much I appreciate the hot weather we've been having."

Lucy cocked her head and squinted at him like he was insane. It was always hot in September in the Bay Area, and he had complained about it at least three times throughout the course of the afternoon. He wiggled his eyebrows at her playfully before sweeping the neck of her tank aside to kiss his way down from her shoulder. She hummed in delight and ran a hand up into his hair to hold him in place. His other hand landed on her thigh to play at the hem of her shorts and her pulse sped up.

"WOOF," the sudden bark and weight on the couch made Lucy jump back on her feet in shock. Dynamite was on the couch, with his paws on Garcia's chest. He didn't look aggressive, but he did look forbidding and disapproving in a way that Lucy cackle as she took in his pose and Garcia's wide eyes.

"Okay, Dynamite. It's alright. You're not supposed to do that if it's me," he pleaded with the dog, who snorted. "Release," he said with authority, but Dynamite didn't budge. Garcia rolled his eyes and looked to his girlfriend. "Would you please command your dog to release me?"

"Dynamite. Release," she said in her stern professor voice, and he jumped down to sit in front of her as she knelt down to pet him and kiss him on the nose. "Oh, you're a good boy. You're my big strong protector."

Garcia slowly reached a hand down, apparently making sure Dynamite would allow him to move. The dog sniffed it briefly before licking Lucy's hand and pushing against her for more affection. She chuckled at Garcia's disgruntled look as she rubbed behind the dog's ears. "I guess I'm not the only one to fall in love with you at first sight."

"I suppose it's good to know he will do that. I'll have to call the trainer for tips on how to get him to stop when it's you," she said, trying to stifle another laugh at his raised eyebrow.

"Yes, well, good boy, Dynamite," he patted him on the flank. "And congratulations. You get to sleep in Iris's room tonight."

* * *

 _It was too difficult to stay mad at Lucy when she was whispering history facts to him, geeking out over Harry Houdini, flushed with excitement. She was frustratingly adorable, impossible to hate, and Flynn would know. He'd been trying for months. Thought maybe he had succeeded when his rage at her had peaked and he had dragged her off to the mothership. He was supposed to be doing this, taking down Rittenhouse, for Iris and Lorena. Killing John Rittenhouse, killing Lucy if he couldn't get her out of the way—it shouldn't have even been a question. But being with her made him feel human again, made him feel again, period, and unfortunately, that included guilt as well as the unwelcome warmer emotions he always experienced in her presence._

 _Flynn knew that his solution was a colossal mistake as soon as he'd gotten back to their time and he'd seen her in that warehouse, shaking in fear and anger. But by then, he had to commit. It was too late. He'd ruined any chance (if he had ever had one) of convincing her to work with him voluntarily. Now he would have to get her to do it against her will, as distasteful as that thought was._

 _The venom he'd managed to work up to threaten her with, to tell her he'd kill her, had been real. He was angry all right. He was angry at her for stopping him, true, but he was angrier with himself both at the lie and the fact that he couldn't seem to make it true. She ought to be expendable, not essential. Though she sometimes seemed afraid in his presence, he didn't think she really believed him either. He shouldn't have felt relief at that._

 _Lucy was giddy. Laughing in delight, grinning at a young, not-yet-successful Houdini as she helped him onstage. It was ingenious to go to him for help. He'd never have thought of it. The breadth of her knowledge had amazed him from the offset, but it was her creativity and cleverness that intrigued him. Combined with her beauty and her compassion, well, it wasn't much wonder that he couldn't kill her, even if she could be maddening with her stubborn refusal to help him._

 _Flynn couldn't help but smile when she did, however little he felt like it, especially as he watched her face fall whenever she looked at him. He'd gone far enough, he thought. The actions he'd just taken screamed "Stop seeing me as a good man. Admit that I'm a monster, that I'm inhuman. So that I can be." Even now, though, she might hate him, but she still saw straight through him, and he hated that vulnerability. Or humanity. Mostly, he hated that he didn't hate it._

 _The tent cleared out and Lucy went to corner Houdini with stricken eyes like she was going to the gallows. She was so afraid for her friends, and he forcefully shoved down the part of him that felt guilty and barred the door. It was too late now. There was no going back, and if working with her like this wasn't anywhere near the partnership he'd hoped for, longed for, well, it was all he was going to get. Disappointment washed through him as he moved to continue with the mission._

* * *

"It's too bad that it's only October. If it were a bit later in the year, we could ice skate."

They were strolling along the green of Midway Plaisance park in Chicago. The leaves in the park were in full color, and it was a perfect October day with deep blue skies and puffy clouds. It was fairly chilly, frigid to his California-bred girlfriend, but she was wrapped up tight from top to bottom, scarf, coat and fuzzy boots all in place.

Garcia had tagged along to a history conference on Lincoln at the University of Chicago. She had accepted his explanations that he wanted to support her at her presentation (true), that he was a fellow history geek (also true) and take the rare opportunity for a romantic getaway with her (always true), so he didn't think she suspected him of an ulterior motive (that was where she was wrong).

Lucy looked at him, skeptically raising her brow. "Ice skates and I don't exactly mix."

"Not even at Midway Plaisance? Where the first Ferris wheel was?" He nudged her and she laughed at him showing off his knowledge to her.

She closed her eyes and grinned as Garcia drank her in. He loved all her faces, but the high on history one was one of the best.

"There's some debate about whether it was truly the first one, but it was the first to operate the way it did. It was 264 feet tall."

"80 meters," he coughed.

"Shh. I'm trying to picture it. You can play condescending European in a minute."

Garcia laughed even as he shook off his nerves and reached into his jacket pocket, just to make sure.

"36 cars, 60 people in each one. Can you imagine? It sounds terrifying."

"You wouldn't have ridden it?"

"I don't think so, but it would have been incredible to see. I'd prefer to spend time in the Women's Building, the country exhibits…"

"Not Edison? No peek at the World's Fair Hotel?"

She shivered. "H.H. Holmes used to give me nightmares as a kid. It would be neat to meet Edison. Teddy Roosevelt. You?"

"Tesla."

"Right. If I had to pick one, it would have been Harry Houdini."

"Ah, I forgot you have a thing for Houdini."

"You say that like I have a crush on him. He's been dead for almost a hundred years."

"I'm not jealous, I'm just saying. You gush."

Lucy rolled her eyes at him as he stopped her beside the path. "I prefer tall, dark, condescending Europeans."

"Well, he was born in Hungary."

She laughed at him. "You know I just want you."

Garcia's heart started to pound and he led her to a bench. "I'm…glad to hear that. Can we sit?"

Lucy turned to look at him quizzically, but she obliged and sat next to him.

"You know that I love you, that you're all I want, too. Right?"

Lucy tilted her head and gazed at him, eyes full of love, as she stroked his cheek and nodded. He leaned into her touch before inhaling deeply and blowing the breath out slowly before moving to kneel in front of her, his stomach a ball of nerves, even as he knew the rightness of what he was doing.

"Garcia?" Lucy's voice was full of wonder as he looked up at her—her face just barely above his own from his kneeling position. Her eyes were starting to sparkle with tears as she bit her lip, and he took her hands in his own as his heart leapt into his throat.

"The day we met, it was a foregone conclusion for me. I was gone. I don't know whether it was the visions or the chemistry, or maybe I was gifted with the best luck on this earth that day, but I was done. It was like I was in a dark room and you were the light turning on. You were it—you ARE it for me. I would have asked you months ago if I thought it wouldn't send you screaming."

"Oh my God…" her hands were trembling in his own, and he pulled them to his mouth and kissed each one. She tilted forward to lean her forehead against his and he reached up one hand to brush across her flushed cheek.

"This is why I didn't get upset when I asked you to move in and you said no. I don't think you realized at the time, but you said you couldn't 'until we get married'. I started looking at rings the next day. You are beautiful, brilliant, impressive and clumsy, probably the most stubborn person I have ever met apart from myself, and I love you for all of that and everything else that you are. I want this, I want you, forever. Please marry me, Lucy."

Small hands reached up to grab his face and pull him in for a heated kiss. She pulled back to breathe a "yes" against his lips and his heart soared. Next thing he knew, he was flat on his back. Lucy had jumped into his arms without accounting for the fact that he was kneeling, and knocked him straight to the ground, but he didn't care, not when she was officially going to be his, and she was kissing every inch of him she could find, breathless from laughing as she lit up the sky with joy.

* * *

One week later, Lucy was still beaming as she walked down the aisle. Her burgundy bridesmaid dress set off her pale skin and dark hair just so, and with the golden flowers she was carrying, it made her look like an autumn leaf. She winked and gave him a significant look as she neared, letting him know she knew what he was thinking. He winked back, thinking of the ring hidden away in his breast pocket.

Lucy had wanted to wait until after the wedding to tell everyone, not wanting to impose on Jiya and Rufus's day. They had to tell Iris and Amy as soon as they got home from their trip, though. Iris had squealed a shrill "Finally!" before pulling Lucy around the room to dance in celebration. They laughed at that and then had to explain to the now ten-year-old that by most measures their meeting to engagement time frame was lightning fast, but she was having none of it. She had already made him put a dog bed on her floor for Dynamite and a hook by the door for his leash. (He was relieved that she had the dog to distract her from the questions about the siblings she was probably already dreaming up.)

A few nights later, Iris had come to his room to talk to him. Lucy was at her place, and Garcia was concerned at first that she had changed her mind about them getting married. It turned out to be more complicated. Worry had set in about Lorena and whether or not it would hurt her to have Lucy officially become part of their family. Garcia had frankly expected that crisis to come much earlier on, so although he was surprised, he had in mind what to say. Iris had shared a couple of the too-few memories she had of her mother, and he had shared some of his own, things Iris hadn't known about their courtship, her mother's family, the origin of her name. He explained how they had discussed the possibility of their deaths and that each of them had wanted the other to remarry if they found love again.

"Loving someone means you always want the very best for them, even if it can't be you. You want them to be happy, even if you don't get to be there to be happy with them. Your mom loved us and she would want us to be happy and loved, and let Lucy into our lives. Lucy won't take her place. We'll honor your mother's memory. We just make space to love Lucy, too."

"Lucy is the very best for us. I know that."

"Me too, sweetheart."

Amy had assumed that Lucy was pregnant, which made Garcia simultaneously irritated and a little wistful because it wasn't the case. Lucy had handled telling her sister alone, which he hated. He still wasn't sure whether or not she accepted him. Amy had always been playfully hard on him, especially after the chaotic start to their relationship, but Garcia had to wonder if there was a grain of truth in her teasing. Lucy was worried because of Amy's opinion of marriage as a social construct used to oppress women. She never planned to marry herself. As a historian, of course Lucy couldn't fully disagree, but it took some convincing to show her sister that this was absolutely what she wanted. Garcia suspected it was more than that. Lucy and Amy had been a team of two for so long, and most of the changes—Dave coming into their lives, moving out, even befriending Wyatt, Jiya and Rufus—had come from Amy. It might take her more time to adjust to Lucy doing the changing. Amy was trying, he could tell. She'd come to his house for dinner with the three of them, and as Iris and Lucy were throwing a ball for Dynamite, they had talked.

"So, you promise not to stifle Lucy or force her into any role that she doesn't want?"

He raised his eyebrows. The confrontation wasn't surprising, but that she jumped straight into the deep end was. "I promise I won't. I love her, I want her to be and to have whatever she wants."

"I know you love her. You're stupid in love with her. That's not the problem." She searched for words, her eyes following her sister. "I watched Lucy be controlled by Mom for our whole lives. It doesn't take much for her to hide herself, stifle her own desires and go along with someone else's wishes. Especially someone she loves."

Garcia took that in. "That's true, she's told me. I know she grapples with it sometimes, your mother's voice in her head. But it's not like that with us. I don't withhold my love or approval from her to get what I want."

Amy's eyes grew wide. "Wow. She has given you a more accurate picture of Mom than I would have expected."

Garcia nodded. "She isn't as afraid to make her own path now. And she absolutely isn't hesitant to let me know when she disagrees with me. Lucy can be stubborn as a mule when she wants to be. She knows I'll still love her when she does.

Amy nodded.

"But…"

"What is it?" she prompted when he hesitated.

"But she does need you to trust her. Trust that she knows what she wants and she'll stand up for it. She'll come to you if she needs to. Okay?"

Garcia wrinkled his brow, unsure of how his future sister-in-law would receive that. She grew thoughtful for a moment before smiling and joining him on the swing.

"I always used to wish for a big brother. Of course, that was mainly because I knew Lucy wouldn't buy me booze."

He held up his index finger and went inside. A moment later, he came back with two beers and handed her one. "There you go," he smirked as she laughed.

"You'll do, I guess."

"High praise," he snarked and clanked her bottle with his.

"Don't let it go to your head, bro."

At the reception, Garcia, Iris, Dave and the Christophers milled around the tent as the kids took to the dance floor. The wedding was at Connor Mason's mansion and the bridal party, including Lucy, Amy and Wyatt, were taking pictures on the beach, below the cliffs where the mansion was situated. It wasn't as large or pretentious a wedding as he thought it might be, given the location, probably about a hundred guests in total. It was fancy, but in a way that seemed appropriate for Jiya and Rufus.

"Hey," Dave nudged him. "That's the girl Jiya's trying to set Wyatt up with."

Garcia looked to see a trio of young women sitting at a table. "Which one?"

Denise came over to see who they were looking at. "The one with the reddish-brown hair. Her name's…Alice or Elise or something like that. She's in app development at Mason. Jiya says she's smart and sweet."

She was pretty, Garcia thought, not as beautiful as Lucy, but who was? "Do you think he's ready for that?"

Denise shrugged and chimed in. "I don't think he's ready for anything serious, but he certainly needs to get out some."

"Yeah, he and Jess got married so young, he's never even dated as an adult. He just needs somebody nice and you know, not a criminal. And not Lucy."

"Dave," Denise scolded.

"Hey, I mean, I think he's over it. But she was the first person he ever looked at other than Jess. He needs to see there are other women out there for him. It's not like you didn't know, is it, Flynn?"

Garcia bobbed his head curtly. He did know, and he liked Wyatt despite it, weirdly. Lucy's love for him, his love for her and their relationship were rock solid, so he wasn't threatened. Although he didn't appreciate the way Wyatt's eyes occasionally lingered on her with longing, he wasn't going to throw a fit over it. Of all people, Garcia knew what it was to adore Lucy, and he didn't think what Wyatt felt was quite love. For all their sakes, though, it would be a relief if he could move on.

"I just want him to meet someone else before the other shoe drops, you know?"

"Other shoe?" Denise asked, forehead crinkled in confusion.

Garcia rolled his eyes and sighed. "Dave."

"Ah, shit. The _secret_ other shoe."

Denise's inquisitive face turned to Garcia. "What secret? Are you and Lucy moving in together?"

"Um, well, she didn't want to say anything until after today. Dave wasn't even supposed to know. But yes." Talking about it made it impossible for him not to smile, so he didn't try to hold back his delighted grin as he added, "After our wedding, that is."

For a relatively small woman, she hit him hard, hugging him tightly and he would never have thought she could squeal so loudly. "Michelle!" She yelled out and her wife came running to see what the ruckus was about.

The kids ran over too, and once Iris realized the news was out, she excitedly joined in the telling. Garcia found himself sandwiched between Michelle and Denise when he caught Lucy's eye as she and Amy entered the tent. She looked to him and threw her hands up, exasperated that the cat was clearly out of the bag. Garcia just jerked his head in Dave's direction and shrugged, still grinning as he watched her turn to glare at her sister.

He went to meet her, kissing her much more chastely than he wished, mindful of the ecstatic group watching them. "You look gorgeous."

"Thank you," she smiled as she wiped some of her lipstick from his mouth with her thumb.

"I do think the outfit needs something, though." Lucy twinkled at him and held out her hand to get her ring back. Garcia shook his head. "This is my job," he turned her left hand and slid the ring onto her fourth finger, taking a minute to admire the vintage ruby where it belonged. Lucy's eyes sparkled at him and he tried to hold onto her, but they were suddenly surrounded.

A few minutes later, he spotted Wyatt with Alicia (Amy had informed them of her correct name). It looked like they were hitting it off. Garcia quirked his eyebrow at Dave, who met his gaze and bobbed his chin. Dave had been informed that, since it was his fault the news leaked out early, it was his job to tell Wyatt before he heard it somewhere else, and he had shuffled off to do so at the combined glares from Amy and Garcia.

"I think Connor Mason is drunk off his ass," Michelle muttered to the few of them gathered at the table. Lucy and Amy burst out laughing.

"Totally. He kept giving emotional toasts while we were getting pictures. Since he's been a father figure to Rufus and he gave Jiya away today, I think I'll give him a pass," Amy laughed before grabbing Dave to head to the dance floor in the middle of the tent. Jiya and Rufus had come in and had their first dance some time ago and were now making the rounds to greet their guests.

Jiya came up behind Lucy and tapped her shoulder. "Hey, I've got a bone to pick with you."

"I'm so sorry, Jiya! Amy blabbed to Dave, and then he blabbed to everyone else."

The bride gaped at Lucy. "Not that! I can't believe you didn't tell me! All that girl-bonding time this week and you didn't say one word!"

Lucy adorably crinkled her nose in apology. "I'm sorry? I wanted to let you have your own day!"

Garcia felt a hand clap his back and looked up to see Rufus tilting his head awkwardly. "Hey, congratulations, man." He thanked the groom and they shook hands. Garcia liked Rufus, but there was a weird tension between the two of them that he didn't understand. Hopefully over time it would dissipate.

"Do you know what you want for our wedding?" Lucy leaned in to ask him as Jiya and Rufus continued to the next table, and he fingered the tendrils of hair hanging in front of her face. Most of it was swept back and pinned up in a low bun, and it made him want to lean in and kiss down her neck. He had restrained himself so far, with difficulty.

"Whatever you want," he shrugged.

She looked at him pointedly. "No, really."

Garcia thought for a minute. "All I care about is that the people we love are there, that we're married at the end of the day, and that you're happy. I have much stronger opinions about the honeymoon."

Lucy looked at him indulgently. "And those are?"

"Somewhere warm and private."

"Yes. With a beach. But, that's it?"

He smirked and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "I'll save my other requests for when we're alone."

They both laughed as she pushed his face back. Even in the low light, he could see the pink creep into her cheeks. Making her blush was getting harder as they got closer, and it was his goal to make it happen as often as possible. "Seriously, though, the sooner the better."

"How does December 29th sound?"

He leaned in and raised his eyebrows in surprise. "It sounds amazing. Can we do it that fast? Is that what you want?"

"I want small. Intimate. Our closest friends and family, no big fuss, no stressful planning. I want it to be about us and I want us to be married at the end of the day. This way, we can have Christmas with Iris, and the semester doesn't start until January 15th. That gives us plenty of time for a honeymoon." Picking up her hand from where it rested on his chest, he kissed the inside of her wrist and wished for the millionth time that they were alone. "Oh! And I want a fabulous dress."

Garcia hummed his approval. "I want to see you in a fabulous dress, too. It sounds perfect."

* * *

" _Where's Flynn?" Lucy asked Jiya after Agent Christopher left the room to escort the doctor to clean up in the "medical bay", which was really a glorified bedroom on the ground floor of the safe house. Jiya double-checked the hanging bag of blood that was dripping into Lucy's uninjured arm._

" _This just has a couple minutes left, I think. The last time I saw Flynn was when he stomped off after Agent Christopher told him off for pacing in the hallway."_

 _Lucy sighed. "Would you mind getting him for me?"_

" _Okay. I'll get him and come back to take out your IV."_

" _No, that's okay. You go be with Rufus. If Flynn comes, he'll change it."_

 _Jiya raised an eyebrow. "'If'? Come on."_

 _Lucy felt her face heat and hoped the blush would be canceled out by her paleness from the blood loss. She knew the team had noticed the growing intimacy between Flynn and her since Chinatown. Small touches between them had become more and more commonplace, and the team knew if they searched for one they would find the other. What the team didn't know about (she didn't think) were the nights she cried herself to sleep in his arms. He had an uncanny knack for sensing when she was up grieving in the middle of the night (she suspected it was because he wasn't sleeping either). The first time it had happened, he had knocked on her door at three o'clock with a bottle of vodka and two glasses. She had ignored the drink and his shocked protests and tugged him into her bed by the shirt with a boldness borne from exhaustion and sorrow and collapsed in his arms. The next morning, she had apologized profusely until he had shut her up by telling her he was there for her, however she needed him. A few nights later he had come again, this time heading straight to the bed after only an encouraging nod from her. He never came when she wasn't crying. It didn't go any further than that, to Lucy's increasing discouragement. It wasn't surprising that her desire for him had snowballed since then. Sleeping pressed up against someone tended to do that, and it definitely wasn't a chore. What was surprising was how much she genuinely liked him and that she missed him whenever he wasn't there, for whatever purpose. She was pretty sure he had a thing for her, too, but she wasn't confident enough to push the issue._

" _Lucy? Do you want me to go now?" Jiya's question pulled Lucy out of her trance and she nodded, ignoring her friend's smirk. Those two weeks without Rufus had been torture for all of them, but especially Jiya, and anything that put a smile on her face was worth it. Even at Lucy's own expense._

 _A couple minutes later, the door opened and he entered, tension obvious in every muscle of his body._

" _How do you get up here without making a sound? The stairs and floors in this place creak like crazy whenever I walk around, but you're silent even though you're way bigger than me."_

 _There was no amusement in his face—he was still visibly upset about her injury—but his shoulders relaxed just slightly. "Are you calling me fat, Lucy?" Flynn frowned as he eyed her bandage, and he moved to sit on her right side, being careful of her IV._

 _She scoffed. "No, you know you're—" she cut herself off and bit her lip. "You look good," she finished lamely._

 _The corners of his mouth turned up minutely and it felt like a victory until he sighed. "That was too close, Lucy. I'm sorry I didn't get there in time."_

 _Lucy shook her head at him. "You got there just in time. The only reason I was able to get out of the way was because of you training me so I was able to dive out of the way fast enough. You shot him immediately so he didn't get another chance. It's not your fault."_

 _Flynn worked his jaw as he looked at her arm, as if making sure she hadn't spontaneously started bleeding again._

" _Jiya said it's just a graze?"_

" _Yes. I'll be fine," she didn't add that it stung like crazy. He'd had enough to know, and she didn't think it would help the situation. His eyes bored into hers, full of concern, and she tried to put as much reassurance into her gaze as possible. Flynn dropped his head onto the bed between her arm and her hip and she felt him shudder._

" _I'm okay," she whispered. Unable to stop herself from touching him in reassurance, she raked her fingers through his hair as he leaned into her touch. Lucy felt him relaxing as he laid there for a couple minutes before sitting up. She was about to reach for him again, but he looked to her IV stand and cleared his throat._

" _I need to take out your IV," he moved to gather the biohazard box and other materials Jiya had left. As she watched, she noticed that there was a different tension in him now. It looked like he was close to breaking, but she couldn't tell if he would cry or yell or kiss her once he did._

 _He gently removed the tubing and needles from her arm, shuddering again at the sight of her blood as he held a cotton ball in the crook of her arm. The materials were placed in the box with his other hand before he tore a piece of tape and smoothed it to hold the cotton ball in place. Lucy felt him start to sit up before hesitating, and his eyes flicked to her face as he stroked the inside of her arm with his thumb. Her eyelids flickered closed until she felt his lips pressing against her bicep and lingering. The pleasant shock of it zinged down her spine and her eyes flew open as she gasped._

 _Flynn was sitting up and biting his lip. He was looking at her with such soft, naked adoration that Lucy could have cried. He was searching her gaze for something and it suddenly occurred to her that he had been waiting for her to be the one to cross the line between them. If he didn't think she wanted him to, he never would. Her hand cupped his cheek and he murmured her name "Lucy," like an endearment, before looking back with his heart in his eyes._

 _They had one of their unspoken conversations where his eyes spoke to her more than his words could, and she realized that he would follow her anywhere: past, present or future, hell or high water, and all she had to do was ask._

 _Out loud, she said "Will you?" Confusion flickered across his face but settled into hope as she knotted her fist into his sweater and pulled him down. There was no hesitation as their mouths met. Heat burst in Lucy's chest and spread outward as she mused that she had been right. Flynn kissed the way he fought: take no prisoners, no mercy, burn everything down to the ground until all she could feel was the fire consuming her. But…in a wonderful way. She decided then to save the metaphor choice for a more opportune time, as she flicked her tongue and he groaned so deeply she felt it in her bones._

 _The hunger grew until Lucy had to have him closer, needed to touch more of him. But as she started to tug him down, he shifted his weight and bumped her hip and pain jerked her back to full consciousness. She couldn't help but break away from him with a hiss._

" _Your arm? Shit, did I-?"_

" _No, my hip. I didn't realize I fell on it so hard." Flynn moved back as Lucy shifted and lifted her shirt slightly. His eyes went round for a moment as she moved to tug her pajama pants down an inch, but they both winced upon seeing the dark red bruise swelling across her hip. He went to the box of supplies and found an ice pack, wrapping it in her discarded robe before coming back to the bed and placing it on her hip. She grunted at the cold. "Thank you."_

" _Did you hurt anything else?" At her head shake, "Are you sure? You might have hurt your ribs if you fell that way."_

 _Lucy bit her lip against a smirk. "I'm pretty sure—I took out that housekeeping cart and towels with my top half while the rest hit the floor. But you're welcome to check." She gestured down her side with her free hand. Somehow he managed to look amused, exasperated, concerned, and turned on all at once, and she couldn't help but giggle._

" _Okay," he huffed. "I think the pain pills are kicking in. I'll let you get some sleep." The lamp flicked off and he said "Goodnight, Lucy," and started toward the door._

" _Where are you going?" She shot up and he turned back, his face hidden in the dark._

" _You need your rest to heal."_

" _Yeah, I know. But where are you going?" She felt him move closer to the bed._

" _You want me to stay?"_

" _Yes," she said, exasperated that he was being so dense. To his credit, he didn't continue questioning her, but walked back to the other side of the bed, toed off his shoes, and climbed under the covers. Lucy rolled her eyes when she realized he was teetering on the very edge of the bed. "Come here."_

 _Flynn awkwardly tried to arrange himself around her without touching her, much harder than usual since she was on her back and it was a tight fit for him to squeeze into a double bed with her anyway. He finally settled on his side facing her, his left arm tangling with her right, and his right arm awkwardly dangling from his side before Lucy snorted impatiently and pulled it across her waist. Flynn was holding himself so rigidly that the insecurities that had been banished earlier began to creep back into Lucy's mind._

" _Um…before…was that okay?"_

" _It was perfect," he whispered, and the tension in her gut uncoiled._

" _It was. So why are you being weird?"_

 _Lucy could feel him thinking, heard him gulp before answering. "I wondered…if it was a heat of the moment, one-time thing or…" She opened her mouth to respond, but he kept going, a slight tremble in his voice. "Not that it's bad if it was, it won't…I won't stop being here for you, not unless you want me to. But if it was, it would be, well. It would be easier for me to know."_

 _Her heart cracked a bit at that, as the certainty from before rushed back into her chest. Blinking her eyes in the dark, trying to see him, Lucy cursed that she couldn't roll on her side or use both arms to touch and reassure him. "It wasn't a one-time thing."_

 _Flynn took a deep breath in. "Not for me, either." He was still frozen where he laid beside her. To pull him to her, she had to bend her right arm weirdly behind her, but he came, trembling, and he leaned forward to bury his face against her shoulder._

" _Flynn," she said, trying to nudge his face up, to no avail. "Hey. I want this. I want YOU, Garcia."_

 _A garbled, choked sound came from him as she said his name, and the bed rocked as he pulled himself up on his hands and knees to hover over her. He leaned down slowly, giving her time to stop him, before he kissed her gently. She kissed him back, trying to pour into the kiss just how sure she was, and she ran her uninjured hand up his neck and behind his head. Flynn pulled away panting and pressed his forehead to hers. "Oh, Lucy. I want this so much." He slipped back down to lie beside her and nuzzled into the side of her head after kissing her cheek. "I can't believe it's happening," he whispered so quietly that she wasn't sure she was meant to hear it. Instead of responding, she leaned over to kiss him, but she couldn't reach and instead caught air. He chuckled and leaned up enough to give her lips a soft brush goodnight._

 _Now that it was settled, Lucy felt the world grow fuzzy. With the warm weight of him beside her, and his fingers tracing circles across the curve of her waist, she let herself fall under, and her last thought was "I'm keeping you."_

* * *

Lucy closed her eyes as the waves drifted in and out, relishing the warm sun soaking into her skin. She was spread out on a double lounge, reading as she waited for her husband. Or rather, holding a book on her lap as she thought about him. _Her husband._

Hopefully the pictures would do their wedding day justice, to help them remember. Her memories of it were so blurred by the joy and exhilaration and overwhelming love that they all tangled together to form a shining golden orb, and Lucy could hardly pull any one strand free, a tangle of gold threads. Lucy and Amy had spent the morning leisurely, sleeping late and eating breakfast in Lucy's bed in their mother's old house and chatting.

They had met up with Jiya and Iris to have lunch before heading to a salon for manicures, pedicures and hairdos. It was Iris's first trip to a salon, and she was sold. As her curls had been pinned away from her face, the stylist had said to Lucy "Isn't your daughter beautiful?" and she caught her breath at the delight of it. "Yes, she is," she'd answered tremulously and Iris had glowed as she grinned back.

Isabella's turned out to have a lovely event room, with exposed brick and a gorgeous chandelier. Their general manager was delighted to learn that their first (official) date had been there, and she bent over backward to help however she could, although she was slightly disappointed at the size of their guest list being the size of an average bridal party.

There were no official attendants, though Iris and Amy had decided together to get formal dresses in a matching shade of blue, and Iris had wheedled Lucy until she'd agreed that they would carry flowers. A former colleague of Lucy's from Stanford, Dr. Vaughn, had happily agreed to perform the ceremony. Apart from the photographer and the servers from the restaurant, the only ones present were their small band of family and friends (plus Wyatt's date Alicia) and Lucy loved it that way.

There wasn't really an aisle, but Amy had walked Lucy to Garcia, who was beaming at her in awe as he took in the sight of her in her lacy dress that had been unanimously declared fabulous. All their loved ones had crowded around them in a circle as they spoke their vows. They could hear sniffles, but Lucy didn't even have the capacity for happy tears, she was so full of joy. She pulsed with radiance as she looked into the eyes of the man she loved and they pledged their lives to each other.

Afterward, they shared a meal, filling up on delicious food, teasing, laughter and wine. Mark, Olivia, Iris and Katie ran around the room. It was unlike any other wedding Lucy had been to and certainly a far cry from the society affairs that Lucy's mother had always dragged her to. Her mother would have hated it. Lucy knew it was perfect.

She heard a shift in the sand behind her and craned her neck to look up at her husband. She frowned.

"I thought you were refusing to wear more than a bathing suit while we're here."

Garcia sat next to her on the lounge and handed her a fruity drink. "I put it on to get you this." Lucy stared at him pointedly until he took the shirt off and smirked at her. "Happy now?"

"Mm. Much better," she rolled over to kiss his bare chest and tuck herself under his arm.

He chuckled at her. "You're one to talk. What's with the cover up?"

"I got chilly."

"I bring you all the way to Mexico for the warm weather, and you're still chilly," he shook his head. "I'll keep you warm now. Come on, tit for tat, Lucy," he singsonged at her and she groaned at him, but she gamely lifted her arms for him to pull it off.

"Plus, there's this," she showed him the red mark on her right hip.

"Oops," he deadpanned as he grinned unrepentantly and stroked his finger across his handiwork. Lucy swatted him lightly on the chest. "Hey, what good is a love mark if no one can see it?"

She tried to eye him sternly. "How's Iris doing?"

"She's good. Having a great time with Olivia, though she's not thrilled with school starting back tomorrow. She wants you to call later. She misses you."

"Okay. I miss her too," she agreed, trying to get back to her book before Garcia nuzzled her. She grumbled but didn't hesitate to toss the book to the side and kiss him until he pulled away breathless. Lucy moved her legs to entwine with his as she leaned her head against his shoulder, sighing in contentment for a moment. "You're doing the staring thing even more than usual," she finally said, looking up to find Garcia giving her a look of lovestruck wonder.

"Sometimes I can't believe this is really happening. That I get to be with you forever and call you my wife," he bit his lip and Lucy soothed it from between his teeth with her thumb.

"Yeah, I guess I'll keep you," she teased.

He huffed. "You have to, now that you put this ring on my finger. We made vows and everything, remember?"

"Mmm," Lucy climbed onto his lap and wrapped herself around him, relishing the catch in his breath as he grabbed her hips tightly. "Not have to. Get to." She pulled her hands up to cup his face and kissed him slowly until he whimpered as she pulled away. "I get to keep you forever, Garcia Flynn."

"And I get to keep you forever back, Lucy Preston."

* * *

 _The timer went off on Lucy's phone. The past two minutes had been the longest and shortest in her life at the same time. She covered her face with her hands for a moment, shaking away the fear, and she looked. Negative._

 _It was what she'd been hoping for. The answer she'd needed, really, living the way she did, him living the way he did, his assurance that he could never be a father again, and of course, there was the mantle of the blood in her veins that she had sworn to never pass on to an innocent child. All that was true. She reminded herself of these facts, but it didn't stop the wave of disappointment from crashing over her or her eyes from welling up. She crawled under the covers of their bed and tried to muffle her cries with her pillow._

 _Her plan for a negative had been to simply breathe a sigh of relief, wrap the test in toilet paper, and dispose of it in the bathroom. She hadn't even planned to tell him, not wanting to bring up the pain of losing Lorena and Iris and stir up his guilt about moving on again. Falling to pieces hadn't been part of the plan._

 _When he came in and found her crying, she still didn't intend to tell him. But when he sat on the bed and asked in his tentative way that said he was 99% sure she wanted him to go, but he'd risk rejection on the 1% chance that she might want or need him, "Lucy, can I-?" and held his arms out, she rolled into him without hesitation. She tucked her face against his chest and started to calm herself as his hands anchored her, one around her waist, the other gently rubbing her hair. Enough. It was enough. He was enough._

 _Her mind was starting to put together an explanation that will satisfy him when he stiffened suddenly and she realized she hadn't hidden the test in the haze of collapsing onto the bed. She cringed, awaiting his recoil. Instead, he leaned back to look at her face. Her eyes were still screwed shut._

" _Lucy, are you…?"_

" _I'm sorry," she sobbed._

" _It's okay," he automatically replied, but his arms were shaking, his breath was coming fast, and she could feel the panic rising in him. "We'll…we'll figure it out. I'll keep you safe. We'll hide you somewhere and…" She wanted to speak, but her words and breath had deserted her. Finally, he reached his hand out for the test and brought it over to read. The tension drained out of him._

" _Lucy. You're not pregnant. It's okay."_

 _The relief in his voice was completely understandable, she told herself, but it still pierced her heart and her tears started falling again in earnest. Flynn slid his arms around her again, trying to console her, even as his confusion sat heavy between them._

 _After a few minutes, her tears and breathing slowed and she braced herself. She had never wanted to have this discussion and she feared his reaction. Forcing him to confront his memories would hurt him and that was the last thing she ever wanted to do._

 _His touch was feather light as he stroked down her cheek. "Can you talk about it now?"_

 _She nodded and sat up, still unable to look him in the eye. "I'm sorry."_

 _He sat up against the headboard and she heard him sigh in…confusion? Exasperation? Anger? "What are you sorry for, exactly?"_

" _I…all of it, I guess. I didn't mean for you to find out. But I…I'll talk to Christopher, make sure that I get a birth control shot. With the missions, it's hard to keep track of when to take the pill, and I can't take them into the past, and…"_

" _Lucy. That's on me, too. I should have thought more about it. The time travel makes it extra confusing and I should have been more careful. I do know what gets a woman pregnant and it takes the both of us. But why wouldn't you want to tell me?"_

 _Lucy gulped down her fear. "I didn't want to upset you. I don't ever want you to feel like you have to choose…like I'm the one stopping you from getting them back."_

 _Flynn caught his breath at that and she couldn't look at him. There was an unbearably long pause before he spoke. "Lucy…okay. Come here. Please look at me."_

 _He pulled her onto his lap so that they were nose to nose and she opened her eyes reluctantly. "Are you crying because you wanted a baby?"_

" _I…" she tried to start talking several times, but it was hard to find words to explain what she didn't understand herself. "Not…not exactly. Our lives are insanely dangerous, and if I were to have a baby and Rittenhouse knew about it, I don't even want to think about what they might do. I never wanted to pass that on, once I found out about my…my bloodline. I know you never wanted to be a father again, and I get that, Garcia, I do. I didn't realize I even wanted it until I saw the result."_

 _His eyes were pained as he took in her words. "Lucy, it's not…you know we can't…"_

 _She sniffed. "I know we can't try. I know that, you don't have to…and I'm going to make sure from now on. I guess I just thought in the back of my mind…if it were an accident. If we didn't plan it, it would be—well, I wouldn't regret it."_

 _Flynn was staring at her in shock. "I didn't think that you would ever want that."_

" _I know…" she took a moment to try to pinch back tears. "I know it's not what you want. And I want you, so I can let it go."_

" _Lucy, no matter what you want, you are not going to lose me," he said forcefully and she bit her lip as she stared down at his chest._

" _No, Lucy. You aren't. I know what I said about being a father, being a husband. Yes, I am trying to save them. I still would walk away from them, because I'm not at all the same man that Lorena fell in love with, the man who was Iris's father. If we save them, I know that I couldn't waltz back in and pretend to be that man anymore. I'd be a stranger to them. I just want them safe. But you already know the worst of me, and by some miracle, you still fell in love with me. I never thought you would want a child that's half me. I can't pretend to understand it, but I'm not going to walk away from it. You are not a placeholder while I wait to get them back, Lucy."_

 _She couldn't help wincing, her heart cracking, as he voiced her deepest fear. He tipped her chin up to get her to look at him. "Hey. You are NOT a placeholder. I want you. I love YOU. And if I could give you a child, I would. God, the thought of making love to you and watching you grow with my child, a little girl that looks like you, it's…but I can't, at least not now, not while we're doing this. Not while Rittenhouse is still a danger."_

" _I know," she sniffed and wiped her eyes again. "I just…I need to be sad about it for a while. Okay?"_

" _Of course, love. Do you want me to stay or go?"_

" _Please stay," Lucy's voice cracked and she hated how needy she sounded, but the tears were coming again. It was one more thing she had lost—the hope of having this. The end wasn't anywhere in sight, probably not for years, assuming they even won, and she was 35. She didn't have all that much time left. That he would want a child with her, that he would stay with her no matter what, would be enough. After she had a good cry._

" _Always," he whispered back._

* * *

"I have kissed nearly every inch of your body, yet I can't stay in the room while you pee on a stick?"

Lucy rolled her eyes and sighed before flushing and washing her hands. She set the timer for two minutes and stared as it counted down painstakingly slow. 1:59. After an eternity, 1:58. She groaned.

"May I PLEASE come in now?"

She pulled the door open and glared at her husband of three months. "How on earth do you expect me to concentrate with you monologuing at me through the door?"

"Finally," he groaned, pulling her into his arms, knowingly making it harder for her to pretend to still be annoyed. "You do realize that if you are pregnant, I'm going to watch while you push the baby out, right?"

Lucy winced at that. "Can we worry about the pushing out part later? I'm trying not to think about that while I'm still focused on getting a baby in there."

Garcia snorted. "Yeah, I guess talking like that isn't exactly foreplay, is it? Sorry."

"Nope," she pushed her head into his chest. Surely the time had to be almost up. "Like I would let you leave, anyway. I suffer, you suffer."

"You've got it, love," he kissed her on the head and they held each other, both full of tension. The timer went off and Lucy jumped to cut it off. She squeezed her eyes shut and covered her face with her hands.

"I can't look. I can't do it. Just...can you…?"

"Yeah," he answered softly, moving to the counter. She heard him pick up the test and put it down.

"Well?"

Instead of answering, he knelt in front of her and kissed her abdomen. Her eyes flew open to see him staring at her still-flat stomach, eyes glassy with tears. "Really? Are you sure?"

Garcia nodded up at her but said "See for yourself." In her haste, she didn't see his foot. She tripped and flew headfirst toward the floor before he caught her and sat her on the counter. He handed her the test, smirking. "You'll have to be more careful now that you're carrying our child."

"Our child," Lucy marveled as she stared at the plus sign and tears started to flow down her cheeks. "Oh my gosh, I'm going to be so huge. Will you still love me when I'm a million pounds?"

Her husband looked back at her, bewildered. "Is that your first—" he changed course as her face crumpled. "Of course I will still love you no matter how big you get. But women are most beautiful when they're pregnant."

She scowled back at him. "Well, that's a caveman answer if I ever heard one. But okay. What about when I'm puking my guts up?"

"Yes. Although you might not get sick."

"When I make you go to the store in the middle of the night because I'm craving something gross?"

"Yes."

Lucy sniffed and tried to calm herself. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and looked up to see her husband's lips twitching. "What?" she frowned.

Garcia looked at her cautiously and put his hands on her hips as he bent down close to her face. "I'll even love you when you're crying and having mood swings."

Anger rushed through Lucy and she opened her mouth to yell at him before thinking about what he'd said. The anger fled and she laughed a little as she pulled him to her for a hug. "I'm sorry. I am happy about this."

"I know," he chuckled. "You don't have to apologize."

"Do you think Iris will be okay?"

"She'll be over the moon. She's been planning for our baby since we first started dating, remember?"

"Huh, yeah," Lucy smiled at the memory. "I saw you smiling about it, you know."

He kissed her cheek. "Yes, well. What we have now is pretty much everything I ever wanted. And you can throw all the mood swings, morning sickness, aches and pains, whatever you want at me. I'll take it gladly. I'm here all the way."

"Okay," she whispered. "We're a team?"

"I think we're quite the team," he whispered back as he pulled her against his chest. "And I'm here. Always."


	16. And All Manner of Thing Shall Be Well

_Disclaimer: I don't own Timeless._

* * *

Garcia snuggled baby Sarah against his chest and kissed the top of her downy head as he walked over to her mom. Hearing a familiar bark, he sighed as he saw his son standing on top of the 8-foot fence that surrounded Denise and Michelle's backyard.

"Henry, get down," he called tiredly. Defiant green-brown eyes stared back impassively at his father, who fought back the urge to ignore it and let him fall. "Henry Joseph Flynn, _now._ " He watched the struggle in the two-year-old's face before he finally decided to obey and shimmy down the fence post. It was a testament to how often things like this happened that when he turned to find Lucy taking in the scene, she didn't bat an eyelash. At least this time there were no sharp objects involved. The boy grinned at him as he shoved the dark sweaty curls away from his eyes and then took off to catch up with Katie and Mark, who were running into the house. He shook his head and looked down at the baby in his arms before smiling ruefully at Lucy and Jiya, who were sitting around the fire pit. "Remember back when Henry was this small and couldn't climb or run away?"

"Don't get any big ideas," his wife looked at him in warning. He chuckled as he handed Sarah to Jiya. "I am done bearing your enormous children."

"I was only going to offer to babysit," he held up his hands in surrender. "I am perfectly happy with the two we already have. It's nice to hold one every once in a while who only wants to cuddle instead of talking back or trying to jump out the second story window. And with Sarah here and Amy and Dave's on the way, we can get our baby fix." Amy and Dave had stayed home due to Amy's horrific morning sickness that was unfortunately following her into her second trimester.

Garcia knelt and picked his wife out of her chair before stealing it and depositing her on his lap. Lucy leaned her head on his shoulder with a contented sigh and he kissed her cheek.

"I'm so glad you two are still just as gross as always," Rufus chuckled as he sat down next to his wife, taking his daughter as she grinned and reached for him.

"We spend most of our time chasing Henry, so when we get a chance to sit down together, I'm taking advantage of it," Garcia responded dryly. He rubbed along Lucy's thigh and felt her shiver slightly, even as she shooed his hand away.

"Yeah, he is an interesting combination of you two," Jiya laughed. "He got Garcia's love for adventure combined with Lucy's creativity. And both of your stubbornness. It'll be amazing to see what he does when he's older."

"I just hope it's legal, whatever it is," Lucy shrugged, only half-kidding.

"Aw, man," Rufus groaned. "Where's the diaper bag?"

"In the guest room," Jiya replied, yawning as she watched her husband slowly head into the house.

"It'll get better," he said, and then corrected himself at Jiya's pointed look, thinking of his son. "Well, she'll eventually sleep through the night, at least."

"Yeah, she's actually not that bad. But when she doesn't wake up, I wake up and wonder why, and sometimes I have dreams…" the engineer drifted off before looking at the two of them, calculating.

"Speaking of which, you know the things we see that we don't talk about?" Jiya asked Garcia and Lucy slowly.

The couple shared a look before nodding silently. The visions had come less and less over time. Garcia hadn't had one during the waking hours in a couple years. Occasionally little bits of that other life still crept in, though. Lucy had a habit (one he wasn't sure she even recognized) of kissing him and checking for scars that he knew weren't there. His left side, his right shoulder, just right of his neck. As for him, after Henry had been born, it had been months before Garcia could let Lucy go get him in the middle of the night. Even now that he was two and typically slept through the night, if Garcia heard Henry stir, he would shoot out of bed to check on him, the old nightmare memory haunting him.

"I had a vision one day when I was in a meeting with Connor," Jiya continued. "And after he freaked out and made sure I was okay, we talked about them. He had an intriguing theory."

Garcia bit his lip before turning to Lucy in silent question. Her eyes were fearful but also curious, and he turned to Jiya with a nod.

"He told me that about ten years ago, he was all set to start a top-secret project—a time machine."

Garcia knew his face registered his disbelief of that. "Uh…is Connor…all there?"

Jiya rolled her eyes. "I know it sounds like sci-fi, but theoretically, it IS possible. Just no one has the money and materials, not to mention expendable test pilots, it would take to do it."

Lucy chimed in, "Okay, assuming I believed you-that would be insanely dangerous. Anything you would do in the past, even just _being there_ , it could change our present reality in ways that could never be predicted."

"Exactly," Jiya replied significantly. "He was all set to do it, get financial backers and everything, when he had his own vision or nightmare or whatever. He went back to the thirties and met Robert Johnson." Jiya looked at them pointedly.

Garcia could tell by the set of her shoulders that Lucy didn't have a clue any more than he did.

"Yeah, I didn't know who he was either. Apparently, he was the 'King of the Delta Blues', who supposedly sold his soul to the devil for his talent, and we would never have had rock and roll without him. Connor's a total fanboy. Anyway, he had this whole conversation with Robert Johnson about how his life was ruined by it, and in Connor's dream he was thinking of how building the time machine ruined his own life, plus other people's lives and unleashed some horror on the world. He didn't realize how dangerous it would be until it was too late. So, after that, Connor gave it up."

"Okay, so if he never made it, then why is it relevant?" Lucy voiced Garcia's own question.

"Well, _this_ Connor never made it. It doesn't mean that in another timeline he didn't. If he had, and we somehow were on the team that went back in time…it would explain why all the visions are in different times and places, why we would have memories of things that never happened…"

Garcia's stomach churned. It was insane, impossible, ridiculous, and yet…

Lucy shivered against him. "That's…I mean, it's…"

"Yeah," Jiya answered. "Have you ever looked into anything you saw?"

"No," Lucy shook her head emphatically as guilt crept up his spine. "We decided not to a long time ago. It was too disturbing," she turned to her husband. "Right?"

He cringed. "I…well…" His wife's mouth dropped open.

"Garcia!"

"I couldn't help myself. I was careful, I erased any trace of my search…but I did research the name Rittenhouse about a year ago," he whispered it like a taboo. He winced at the betrayal in his wife's eyes, and hated himself for putting that look in them.

"Did you find anything?" her voice shook.

Garcia looked away before meeting her gaze. "Yes."

The two women stared at him, waiting, and he took a deep breath. "There isn't much. But there were a few whispers of suspicion that I found in archives, just the name, in police reports every few decades through American history. Then there was an FBI file from the fifties, a thin one, on an investigation into what might have been what they thought was some sort of domestic terrorist group called that. But after the fifties, there's nothing. Absolutely nothing. So, if this group _did_ exist…they don't anymore. We don't have to worry about them, Lucy."

He hadn't realized until this moment that she had held onto that fear. The memory fear made sense, it was like muscle memory, but he hadn't realized she'd been waiting for Rittenhouse to pop up and ruin their lives the way they had in the dream world, other timeline, past life, whatever it was. Had he known that, he would have told her.

"Jiya!" Alicia called to the engineer from across the yard, and she shrugged at the Flynns in apology before excusing herself awkwardly. She and Wyatt had dated casually for a few months after Jiya and Rufus's wedding before breaking up. Wyatt hadn't been ready for a serious relationship yet, still dealing with the hurt left by Jessica's betrayal. But a few months ago, they had reunited, and they all figured it was for good this time. Alicia loved Kate, challenged Wyatt, and was a brilliant spitfire of a woman in her own right. He was happy for Wyatt, and it seemed like he was prepared for it now.

Lucy tugged on his sleeve and he turned to meet her gaze.

"We'll never know, you might have to accept that," he sighed as he took in her anxious face.

"I…it's insane. Insane, impossible and absolutely ridiculous. But…"

"Yeah," he nodded. It was crazy, and there was no way it could be true. Yet there was still a kernel of doubt.

"I mean, picture it—we're part of some team of what? Action heroes who roam around in the past? Do you think we would wear spandex like the Justice League?"

"Well, now the spandex, I can picture," Garcia squeezed her hip and winked at her, trying to dispel some of Lucy's tension. She groaned at him and rolled her eyes, but he felt her slump against him slightly and he smiled before tucking a strand of her wayward hair behind her ear.

"What would I even be doing there? I'm a teacher."

Garcia frowned at her. "Are you kidding? You're a historian. You would know where to go, how to dress, who to talk to, how to talk, how to act. You're resourceful and you're a genius. Of course you'd be there."

Lucy shook her head but didn't argue. Her hand was running through his hair absentmindedly as she bit her lip in thought.

After a few minutes of brooding, Lucy pulled back to look into his eyes, and he met her concerned look with reassurance. "It's okay, Lucy."

"It's just… _if_ it were true...those other versions of us are out there somewhere, living that life?"

He hoped that wasn't the case, not that he'd ever know. His mind swirled, trying to find a way to help them both make peace with the theory, but Lucy broke the silence first.

"Or maybe…maybe we fixed it somehow. Like if that was the life we originally lived, but we changed the past and now we're here."

His eyebrows shot up as he looked at her, and she burst out laughing. It was such a relief to see her relax that he joined her.

"Time traveling crusaders. It's ridiculous," she snorted. He grinned at his wife, the laughter bringing pink to her cheeks and the sparkle back to her warm eyes before she grew serious again. "I have to believe that. I don't want you to have gone through all of that. And Iris and Amy, Rufus…"

Garcia sobered and gulped. "Yes, well, I think we can do anything together, Lucy. Maybe we fixed all of that. We're quite the team. Since we'll never know…" he shrugged. "Don't feel too sorry for other-me, though."

Lucy scrunched her forehead as she looked back at him. "Why not?"

"Like I said, if anything could fix it, it would be us together. And other-me found other-you, so I have to believe he'd eventually be okay."

Her lips pressed against his cheek before she settled her face against his neck. "You give me too much credit, Garcia."

He snorted at her. "I do not. I believe in your strength, and I do believe in us. I think, like you said years ago, we should take the good from it and leave the rest."

"What do you think the good is?"

His heart lightened as he stroked her hair and looked around the yard. It was filled with the laughter and chatter of their friends, their found family. Their two children were inside, the youngest probably in the midst of breaking something or terrorizing the cat while the oldest and the fur-child tried to stop him and the other children laughed. The woman in his arms, exhausted from the day of chasing around their son, helping her sister and giving herself to him, to Iris, to Henry, to everyone. Precious and loving and beloved.

"We find each other. Wherever we are, whenever, whatever universe or timeline we are in—we always find each other."

Lucy's head lifted as she tilted it to look at him. Expecting her to roll her eyes at his cheesiness, his heart warmed at seeing her tender look instead as she reached her hand up to touch his cheek. "It's a deal."

She pulled Garcia down into a kiss, and he was home.

* * *

Author's Note: The last three chapters take their title from a quote from Julian of Norwich.

And that's a wrap! Thank you so much to everyone for reading, for reviewing (particularly those I couldn't answer because they were guests). I have loved living in this headspace and frankly I'm pretty proud of myself for completing it. I hope you enjoyed reading it half as much as I enjoyed writing it.


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